Day Dream
by lunarfaewolf
Summary: The war is in full swing and Hermione has decided to stay back at Hogwarts to make sure everyone there stays safe, but soon after the year starts she runs away and meets someone she never thought she'd meet in the Dark Forest. AU, Jade/Hermione. Disclaimer. I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING HARRY POTTER...obvy.
1. Chapter 1

Kay...so I lied, here's a new story...I might do three...gosh I'm so impatient sometimes.

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Chapter 1: Runaway

Hoof beats thundered on the ground as a lone figure stood in the forest waiting to meet her lover. It was dark and she had been warned several times by her guards to never enter the forest at night alone. The waxing moon was high shedding some pale light on her surroundings. Where was her knight? Had something happened to them? Now she was lost in the dark with a herd of centaurs passing through that never paid human any attention unless they were defiling the forest. As the ground began to silence, she heard a lone set of hooves were tearing at the ground as she turned to see a figure clad in armor from head to toe on a black steed approaching. Her heart skipped a beat as the horse skidded to a halt and the armored figure jumped to the ground.

"Forgive my lateness, my love." The smooth voice said gently as the figure kneeled and bowed their head. The maiden smiled as she walked over and removed the figure's helm. Long black hair cascaded out and over slim shoulders as bright blue eyes looked up at the brunette. "I didn't mean to keep you waiting darling." The young woman whispered looking up into brown eyes.

"You're here now." The maiden said as her knight stood up and took her helm from the shorter woman. "That's all that matters." The blue eyed girl smiled as the princess stepped forward and pressed her lips firmly against her knight's.

x-x

Hermione awoke with a jolt from her reoccurring dream. She didn't recognize the dark haired girl, but the brunette was always her and the dream was always the same. The brunette was always waiting for this blue eyed girl who came riding on a black horse. Hermione sighed as her eyes fluttered shut and she sat up in her private Head Girl's room. It was late September in her final year at Hogwarts and things have been getting harder with the impending war crashing in around them. Harry and Ron were off hunting horcruxes as she opted to stay behind and help defend the school since Snape was Headmaster now. Strangely, he still appointed her Head Girl and Neville Head Boy, but other than that, life was still made difficult for every house that didn't pledge their loyalty to the Dark Lord. A heavy sigh escaped the brunette's lungs as she swept her legs over the side of the bed and prepared for the day.

"Morning Hermione." Ginny greeted as the older witch descended the stairs. The red head looked worn out as she gave a sad smile to her friend.

"Hey Ginny." Hermione answered as she flopped down next to the youngest Weasley. "What class do you have this morning?"

"Potions." The red head sighed as she rolled her eyes. "At least Slughorn isn't into physical discipline. What about you?"

"Defense Against Magical Creatures." The brunette hated this class. They pretty much practiced spells against defenseless creatures instead of learning to care for them.

"That sucks." Ginny states as Neville came down the stairs with a healing black eye. "Eye's lookin' better Nev." The girl said trying to make him feel better for his previous detention with the Carrows. He just grunted as Hermione stood and followed the boy.

"See you later, Gin." She said gently as she trailed Neville out of the portrait. "How are you feeling Neville?"

"All right." The boy tried to smile, but the soreness of his eye prevented him from doing so. "Just dreading this class, you know we are going to be torturing a centaur that was captured last night? I really don't want to go, but I don't want another detention." He consciously touched his bruised eye socket and sighed.

"Have faith Neville," Hermione tried to put on a cheery smile as she laid a hand on the tall boy's shoulder. "Harry and Ron will come through for us, you'll see." Neville nodded as they made their way down past the Great Hall and out the doors into the courtyard. The air was cool as fall was starting to settle in the air and the brunette tightened her scar around her neck. They had class with the Ravenclaws, thank the gods, as they approached and saw their new 'professor' tying down the struggling young half horse. "This is barbaric." The girl hissed as they got closer to the group.

"Today class," The lanky, gray haired man said as he turned to face the students. "We will be learning how to incapacitate a centaur." No one said anything or made any sort of movement in hopes that the professor would just continue speaking instead of calling on someone to go first. "You! Boy!" He pointed at Neville and motioned him to step forward.

"Why is it always me?" Neville sighed as he left Hermione's side and stepped out in front of the group of students. Seamus and Dean were watching nervously as the brunette frowned as he watched her friend pull out his wand and wait for orders.

"I want you to use the cutting curse, Sectumsempra." The professor grew a skinny grin as he looked at Neville and the concern that grew in his eyes. Hermione clenched her jaw as the boy lowered his wand and shook his head while the man flicked his wand. Neville fell to the ground crying out in agony.

"Stop!" Hermione screamed as she pushed forward and kneeled next to the boy. The centaur bucked and thrashed as Neville writhed on the ground. "Please, just call on someone else!" The Head Boy finally stopped twitching and gasped for air as the brunette tried to calm him down.

"Fine girly," The man jeered as he struck the beast with a stunning spell. "You do it." Hermione sighed as she stood and raised her wand at the centaur who stared at her. All the other students were watching her anxiously as the brunette steeled herself and narrowed her eyes.

"Reducto!" She yelled as the spell hit the professor and she ran over as the chains binding the beast loosened. Then she jumped on its back and the centaur galloped towards the forest. There were cheers as she rode away, but her heart fell as she looked behind and saw the professor shooting curses while pursuing her. They broke the tree line of the dark forest and then the Gryffindor lost her sense of direction as the half horse instincts kicked in and he began to zig zag. The professor yelled and mentioned the Carrows as they fled deeper into the woods to the point where the trees were blotting out the sun. Suddenly the centaur spooked and reared back, dumping Hermione on her back as he ran off deeper into the forest. Her brown eyes watched the fading figure, normally centaurs didn't allow humans to ride them, but this circumstance was different. They were both fleeing from containment in different ways. Now Hermione was in the middle of the woods with the Carrows on her heels and she looked around desperately for a place to hide until the brother and sister appeared into the clearing.

"You're in a lot of trouble missy." Amycus spoke as he whipped out his wand and pointed it at her. "Attacking a teacher and fleeing from the school? Tsk tsk tsk…I don't think detention will suffice this time." He turned and smirked at his sister who mirrored the expression. Hermione raised her wand shakily as she stood off with the sorcerers who began casting curses at her that she deflected with difficulty. A curse finally hit her wand arm and she helped as her wand fell to the ground.

"So the Cruciatus Curse I'd say?" Alecto said cheerily as she approached. Fear was building in Hermione's bones as she backed up against a tree that trapped her to the spot. "For about ten minutes?" The man nodded with an evil grin. Suddenly there was a distant thundering on the ground which caused both of the Carrows to pause and look around the clearing. Then the pain started as Alecto hit her with the torture curse. The brunette's nerves were on fire as she screamed in pain as her bones felt like they were breaking all at once. The thundering was getting louder as the pain subsided and Hermione rolled onto her side and gasped for air. She saw the brother raise his wand at her again when a crossbow bolt flew through the air, finding home in the man's right shoulder.

"What the bloody hell?!" Alecto yelled as she ran to her brother who fell to his knees clutching his shoulder. Her eyes darted back and forth as Hermione felt the rhythm of hoof beats from behind. "Who that fuck are you?" The woman said as she raised her wand in defense. Hermione sat up slightly and saw a very large black horse with a figure clad in black leather armor with a hood over their head that concealed their face. A broad sword was glinting in the light on the left hip of the figure as they dismounted the horse who had a crossbow attached to its saddle.

"You're trespassing here." The figure said in a calm, smooth voice that Hermione swore was female. "Leave now or face the consequences." Alecto sneered as she sent a curse flying at the figure who held their hand out and deflected it which caused the witch's eyes to bug. "I won't warn you again, leave now." The Carrow went to curse the figure again, but with lightning speed the crossbow was already sending a bolt towards the woman who barely dodged getting struck in the arm. "I won't miss again." While all this went on, the brunette made her way behind the figure for safety which caused the horse to look back and nickered gently at her.

"F-fine!" Amycus stuttered finally with the bolt still in his shoulder. "We'll leave, but we're taking the girl." The faceless figure turned to see the young witch cowering by the dark horse who again nickered gently and extended his head towards Hermione's leather clad savior.

"Please, don't let them take me." Hermione pleaded desperately as she thought of the torture she'd receive once they got back to school. "I beg you."

"I'm afraid that's not possible." The woman spoke calmly as she kept her crossbow trained on the two wizards after glancing down to see the fear in brown eyes.

"She's a student and we must insist we take her back." Alecto barked as she raised her wand again. The figure chuckled as she dropped the crossbow while she pulled the sword from her left hip and a dagger from her right.

"Come take her then." The figure threatened with a smug tone in the woman's voice as she crouched slightly, ready for an attack as her horse stomped and pawed at the ground angrily as if challenging with its master. The Carrows scowled as Alecto helped her brother and they slowly backed away.

"You haven't seen the last of us." Amycus spat as he nursed his wounded arm. "As long as you have that girl, we'll be seeing you again." They turned and walked briskly back towards the school.

"I'm sure I haven't." The hooded figure said quietly as she sheathed her weapons and fastened her crossbow back to the saddle before she turned to Hermione who caught a glimpse of a smirk under the hood. "What's your name?" The brunette wasn't sure if she should answer since this person could still be a threat, regardless that she had chased the Carrows away. The horse snorted and nudged its rider's arm with his nose which caused the figure to look back and chuckle. "Forgive my anonymity." She said kindly as her hands moved up to remove her leather hood. Hermione gasped quietly when pitch black hair was revealed with a set of bright blue eyes. "Is this better?" This was the same girl from the Gryffindor's dream. The same face, the same eyes, same voice and hair, it was almost frightening. "Can I have your name now?"

"H-Hermione." The witch stuttered as she swallowed hard and extended her hand to the taller girl. The rider smiled kindly at her as she gently grasped her hand and shook it. "Hermione Granger."

"I'm Jade." The dark haired girl smiled again as she stepped aside. "And this is Valnad." The black horse started nodding his head enthusiastically at the brunette who giggled at the horse's action. "He's quite the charmer. Now why were those people after you Miss Granger? Surely you're not a threat?"

"I-I helped a centaur escape from them." The girl answered shyly as she backed against the tree for support. "They were going to torture him and they wanted to punish me for letting him go, so I ran with him." She continued on to tell the taller girl about how Hogwarts was over-run by Death Eaters and that Dumbledore had died the previous year which made the school more a prison that despised muggle borns now that Snape was Headmaster. Jade nodded in understanding and sighed as she ran a hand through her long hair.

"I knew of Albus's death," Her voice was a whisper as she paced next to her steed. "But I didn't know they'd replaced him with someone so unfit for the position. Father will want to hear about this." Blue eyes turned to Hermione who flinched under the gaze. "Can you ride Miss Granger?" The brunette was shocked, but in her stupor she nodded before Jade smirked and grabbed her horse by the bridle to hold him steady. "Climb up then."

"Why?"

"Do you want to go back to that school?" Jade questioned as she raised an eyebrow at the witch who shook her head fervently. "Then you need to come with me unless you fancy to camp out here." The thought sent a shudder through the Gryffindor as she thought of the many creatures that called the forest home before shaking her head again. "Then come, I promise no harm will come to you while I'm with you." Jade's voice was awfully soothing to the brunette as she swallowed again before moving towards the horse and hoisting her left foot into the stirrup. With one hop, she pulled herself up and into the saddle as Valnad tried to take a step feeling the weight on his back. Jade soothed him and patted his neck as she turned him and walked in the direction she had arrived.

"Aren't you going to ride too?" Hermione started to feel guilty that her rescuer was walking beside her own horse. Jade just shook her head and grinned up at the brunette.

"I think you need the ride more than I do." She answered as she released Valnad's bridle and let him walk on his own. The horse kept a steady pace next to his master as they ventured deeper into the forest to the point where Hermione couldn't tell where they had come from. After about an hour ride, the horse stopped suddenly and raised his head to the left, causing the brunette to fall forward slightly against his broad neck. Jade followed the horses eyes and pulled her hood over her head. "Stay here." She whispered before jogging off and jumping gracefully up into a tree. Brown eyes grew wide at the display of athleticism as Jade disappeared into the canopy above her. A few moments of silence passed as a twig snapped and Valnad's ears perked up. Without warning, a figure dressed in brown, worn garments fell from the trees and landed a few feet away from the dark horse and his rider. He held a large dagger in his hand as he approached the brunette and Valnad began pawing the ground and snorting.

"What a smart beast." The man sneered as he licked his lips and flipped the dagger in his hand. Hermione grabbed a firm hold on the reins and gasped as the yellow eyes of the figure glowed slightly. "Guess I will get dinner and entertainment tonight." He laughed as his eyes trained on Hermione who shuddered under his gaze as the black horse turned to face the man and began backing away. The noise of metal singing through the air as the man turned and blocked a knife that was flying at his face with his dagger. Jade jumped down from the branches above and glared at the man.

"Vladimir." Jade hissed as she drew her sword and Hermione thought she heard a growl escape the blue eyed girl's throat. "You're supposed to be banished. What are you doing back here in my territory?"

"So it's your territory now, hm?" Vladimir spat as he raised his dagger at the girl. "This all used to be my father's land, MY land! Until your father exiled us from our own pack!"

"Your father was leading us down a path of destruction." The dark haired girl never took her eyes off the man as he started to circle her. "He was only worried about himself, he did things for himself, not the pack!" Vladimir roared as he lunged at Jade who just jumped out of the way as the man's eyes began to glow. "My father won the duel fairly, if you have any honor at all for what your family used to be, you'll accept that and leave!"

"You're just a mutt!" The man yelled as he rounded and started slashing wildly at the girl which made the dark horse anxious. "You're undeserving of your title!" The blade finally found its target as it sliced Jade's cheek and the girl jumped back to put some distance between the crazed man.

"Then let's settle this like warriors." Blue eyes narrowed as she stripped off her armor and boots until she was only wearing a tank top and pants. Hermione blushed slightly as she glanced at the girl's lithe figure as Vladimir shed his garments down to his knickers as steam began to roll off his body. Jade's did the same as she began to breathe deep and her eyes glowed neon blue before she growled deeply. Brown eyes grew wide as white fur erupted from her skin and she grew in height before her face began to contort and shape into a wolf's muzzle. Her muscles toned and a tail emerged from her spine as she let out a threateningly roar towards Vladimir who changed into a large dark brown wolf.

There was no warning as Vladimir lunged and Jade met him in the air. Hermione heard jaws snapping and snarls filling the air as the creatures wrestled on the ground, causing Valnad to fidget anxiously. There was another roar as the brown beast caught the blue eyed wolf in the face with his claws and Jade whimpered quietly before she recovered quickly and bared her teeth at the other wolf. A roar escaped her throat as she rammed the other wolf in the chest and bit down hard on his neck. Another whimper as the male tried to wiggle out of the white wolf's jaws to no avail. Jade finally pinned the brown beast down and roared angrily in his face. Vladimir cowered under the intensity and slowly began changing back with fear in his yellow eyes. He kept his head bowed as Jade shifted back to human form almost completely naked as shred of clothing hung to conceal her where it was important.

"Leave." She snarled as she huffed to catch her breath. "If you come back and threaten anyone again I will end your life, is that clear?" Vladimir nodded silently, still not making eye contact as he rose to his feet and backed away. Hermione watched as Jade walked back over to her armor grumbling to herself and didn't notice curious brown eyes looking over her figure. There were scars that marred the blue eyed girl's torso and legs, but they were faded, almost barely visible. As Jade reattached her pauldrons and slid her boots back on, she sighed heavily and walked back over to the brunette.

"You're bleeding." Hermione said quietly as the other girl looked up at her inquisitively as if nothing had happened. Jade brought her hand up to her right cheek and smirked.

"I am." She whispered before her palm emitted a warm light like the rays of the sun and the four claw marks began to close. "Better?" The witch nodded dumbly as the dark haired girl smiled. "I owe you an explanation I guess." Jade looked up at Hermione again before the horse began to walk once more. "I'm a lycan Miss Granger, my father is the alpha of a pack here in the forest and we've lived here for a few years now."

"You don't sound British." The witch said before realizing how rude it sounded. "I'm sorry I didn't mean…"

"It's all right," The lycan chuckled as she patted Valnad's neck. "I was born and lived in America until I was thirteen, then moved here with my father to care for my grandfather. So you're correct, I'm indeed, not British." A bright smile spread on taller girl's lips as she began running her hand through her hair. "We should be back to the village soon, you'll be safe there." The brunette nodded as she watched the girl walking closely by her side. Not much was known about lycans besides the fact that they were cousins of vampires and the evolution of werewolves who were now a separate species all together. They walked for another half hour as sunlight made its way through the trees and the brunette felt safer for some reason being in the light. A large, old tree stood in a clearing and Jade walked up to it before biting her thumb and pressing it against the tree's smooth bark.

"What are you doing?" Hermione's voice was lined with concern as the dark haired girl smirked and licked the remaining blood from her thumb.

"This tree is ancient and magical." She answered calmly. "It is the barrier point for my village and only pack members or those of lycan blood can enter here." An iridescent shimmer was revealed as the wind blew gently and Valnad walked past the large tree. Hermione gasped at the sight when they passed through the barrier. The village resembled Hogsmeade, but in a more medieval way as there were soldiers on horses and armored guards patrolling the streets. There was no stone castle, but on the far side of the village there was a very large palace lined with a wrought iron fence with a bronze gate.

"I can't believe this is in the Dark Forest." The young witch whispered in awe as Jade chuckled and grabbed her horses rein's before walking down the street.

"Welcome to Fristad, Miss Granger." The girl said cheerily as she watched Hermione's face light up as she looked around the town. "This is my home."

"My lady!" A voice called as a blonde man dressed in a suit ran up to Jade and he bowed to her before speaking again. "My lady! Where have you been all morning? Your father has been asking for you since breakfast." Jade must've been important to be addressed in such a way. Suddenly, the blonde man glanced up at Hermione and frowned. "And who is this riding your horse? Why on earth are you walking?"

"Finn, be polite to our guest." Jade said gently as she glanced up at the witch who immediately felt uncomfortable as eyes began to follow her as people passed. "This is Hermione Granger, she's a student from the wizarding school. She was attacked in the forest and needed aid." The man huffed as he glared at the girl who looked apologetically at him.

"Anyways, you should go see your father." Finn continued as he bowed again at the dark haired girl who returned it. "He's eager to speak to you. I'll be back at the palace if you need me."

"Forgive him," The lycan sighed as she looked up at Hermione. "Finn is my steward and he takes his job rather seriously, but he meant no harm." They started walking again down the street towards the palace and brown eyes noticed as the dark haired girl passed, people would bow their heads to her.

"Are you famous Jade?" Hermione asked and Jade chuckled as they approached the large estate's bronzed gate and the soldiers bowed before opening it for her. "Tell me you don't live here." Brown eyes widened as Valnad walked down the gravel path that was lined by a hedge maze on either side.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't." The blue eyed girl said as they reached the courtyard with a fountain in the middle. The dark horse walked around the path and halted in front of the stone steps that led to the entrance of the great manor. Hermione swung her leg over and gasped slightly as she felt warm hands ghost her waist as she landed on the ground. There was a man dressed in a dark purple coat who came and took the horse before elading it down a separate path away from the palace. "Come, you should meet my father." Jade smiled warmly at the young witch who was gawking at the palace until she felt a hand on her lower back, gently urging her to move.

"Her Ladyship, pack beta Jade has returned." A man at the front door announced and Jade sighed as she went over to him.

"I live here William." She said quietly as Hermione stood back and waited for her escort. "You don't have to announce me every time I come home." The man nodded as Jade patted him on the shoulder and opened the door for the brunette who walked in nervously and once again was in awe of the entrance lobby of the manor. It was all white marble floors with a joined staircase that led up to another floor. Jade gently grabbed Hermione's hand to pull her out of her shock as they made their way up the stairs and into a large office where a man with black hair and a white streak sat writing behind a large elaborate desk. He looked up when Jade cleared her throat and bowed her head.

"Daughter," The man said gently as he bowed back and stood from his leather chair. "I see you're dressed as a rogue again. Where were you all morning?"

"Scouting, father," Jade said as she locked eyes with the man. "I just, needed to get out of the manor for a while, so I secured the perimeter of the territory." The man smiled to himself and gray eyes glanced at the witch who was standing behind the lycan.

"And who is this?" He approached the girls and she side stepped and bowed her head so he could see Hermione.

"This is Hermione Granger," Jade answered as her father stopped a foot or so from the brunette. "She was attacked in the forest and is a student at Hogwarts."

"Ah, Hogwarts," The man said softly as he circled the witch. "My name is Thrash, I'm alpha of this pack." He extended his hand and Hermione took it gently as he shook it and vowed his head slightly. "Now why has my daughter brought you here?"

"She needs protection." His daughter answered as Thrash turned and walked back to his desk. "Hogwarts is being controlled by the dark wizard." Thrash paused and sighed heavily before looking at the brunette.

"Is it true, Miss Granger?" Hermione nodded and proceeded to explain the situation earlier this morning to the alpha who listened intently. When she was finished he ran a hand through his hair and sighed heavily. "Well we can't send you back then, can we?" A warm smile spread across his face as he called a woman by the name of Zira into his office. "Please prepare a room for Miss Granger, she'll be staying with us for a while." Zira nodded and left silently.

"Ready the room down the hall from mine." Jade added before the dark haired woman left.

"Please, sir," Hermione said gently as she took a step forward. "I can't ask you to help me or burden you in such a manner."

"You didn't ask," Thrash said kindly as he smiled at the young witch. "It's a pleasure to have you with us. A friend of Albus Dumbledore is a friend of ours. Please, stay as long as you like. Oh, Jade, I think your mother was looking for you, as well as Miss Ley." Jade grumbled at the latter name as she bowed at her father who smirked as the two girls turned to leave.

"Thank you sir." The brunette smiled over her shoulder as Thrash sat back down at his desk and nodded. She followed Jade who turned left from the office and up another flight of stairs before reaching a long hall way. There were three doors in the corridor and Jade stopped at the second one on the left.

"This will be your room." The blue eyed girl said gently as she turned the knob and opened the door. Hermione walked into a very large bedroom with a king size bed with a canopy of navy blue drapes above it and a large window on the wall in front of her. A mahogany vanity was opposite the bed next to the closet. "Mine is the first door on the right that we passed, so if you ever need anything at night, don't hesitate to ask."

"I don't think I could need anything." Hermione whispered as she looked around at the light blue carpet and white walls that were bordered with gold trim. "This is beautiful." The lycan smiled as the witch sat down on the bed and sighed contentedly.

"I'm glad you like it." There was a small, satisfied smile on Jade's face as she took another step into the room. "The bathroom is down the hall on the right. I am going to go change and meet my mother in the library if you'd like to join me."

"You have a library?" An excited squeak escaped the brunette's mouth as she straightened up and her brown eyes lit up with intrigue. Jade chuckled before nodding and Hermione was elated at the thought of having reading material since she had left all her things at school. She then realized how dirty she and her clothes were. "Do you mind if I shower quickly?"

"Of course not." The lycan girl smirked as she walked towards the closet doors and pulled them open. There were several racks of clothing in the walk in closet as well as dozens of pairs of shoes. "You can wear any of these outfits if you need to, or we can go to town and buy new clothes if you'd like. Although, since you are a witch, I guess you could just resize anything you want to wear." Hermione nodded quietly, she wasn't used to this kind of treatment and she was more than a little overwhelmed. "When you're ready, go back to the entry way and there will be a corridor to your right if you're facing the door. Go down the hall and the library is the first door on the right." Blue eyes smiled kindly as Jade left and gently shut the door.

"This can't be real." Hermione whispered as she fell back on the bed and sighed.

x-x

Jade changed from her leather armor and placed it carefully back onto the mannequin in her closet before changing into a pair of black, straight fit jeans and a white t-shirt. She completed her outfit with her blue military jacket and black boots before reattaching her sword to her hip. She let her long hair loose from the low pony tail and brushed it out before making sure she was presentable in her mirror. As she was about to open her door, she heard a door open and a few seconds later a door shut again before assuming that Hermione had gone to shower. Jade smirked to herself as she exited her room and headed back to the lobby hall and followed her own directions she gave Hermione and pushed open the elaborate wooden doors to the library. A smile spread across her face as she saw her mother sitting below the dome sky light reading a book in peace on a large couch.

"Mother." The girl greeted cheerily as she leaned over and hugged the elder woman's shoulders affectionately. "How are you? Father said you wanted to see me?"

"I believe Rayna was looking for you as well," The dark brunette said gently as she smiled at her daughter who sat down across from her in an armchair. "Shouldn't she be your first priority?" Jade huffed slightly and rolled her eyes before folding her arms over her chest.

"I think my priorities are straight, mother." The raven haired girl said in a teasing tone as her mother smiled brightly at her.

"So what did you do today, dear? We missed you at breakfast." Her mother said gently as her blue eyes fell back down to the tome she was reading. Jade sighed and leaned back into the plush chair lazily.

"Scouting," She answered as her blue eyes watched the sun dance through the sky lights. "I needed to get away for a bit, father doesn't send me ou on anything anymore and I was getting anxious. Oh, and I ran into Vladimir."

"Kaczek?"

"Do you know another?" Her mother shook her head as Jade continued. "He looked really rough, we had an argument and ended up battling."

"How did it go?" The elder lycan asked curiously as her daughter smirked. "Well I'm assuming, since you don't have any open wounds." Jade nodded as she told her mother about the fight and the girl she found in the forest.

x-x

Once Hermione had finished her shower and was standing in front of her closet wrapped in a plush white towel. She wasn't sure what to wear, everything seemed overly extravagant and the brunette thought for a moment that she should just scourgify her own clothes and wear them. After much deliberation, she finally settled on a pair of blue jeans and white button up shirt that was too big, but she found comfort in it since it was so light. Her own brown casual shoes completed the outfit as she dried her hair and left the room. She followed Jade's instructions and soon found herself in front of two large wooden doors that were carved in an ornate design with the center carving being of a large tree. Gently, she pushed the doors open and gasped at the enormous room that had three floors of bookshelves and almost no free wall space. She walked in slowly, her eyes lingering on the glass dome in the middle. The brunette spotted Jade sitting across from a woman clad in an elegant green dress who looked a lot like the blue eyed girl. The woman had long dark brown hair and deep blue eyes that emanated kindness, Jade was definitely a replica of her parents. Blue eyes of the younger of the two women fell on the brunette and she stood as the witch approached.

"Miss Granger," The lycan girl bowed slightly with a smile as Hermione stood timidly next to her and faced the elder woman. "Mother, this is Hermione Granger from Hogwarts. Miss Granger, this is my mother."

"Gemma." The elder spoke as she gently stood and kissed Hermione on both cheeks. "It is a pleasure to meet you and to hear you'll be staying with us."

"Please," The brunette smiled as she bowed her head respectively towards Gemma. "Call me Hermione, both of you." Her eyes glanced at Jade who smiled as the lycan offered her seat to the brunette before sitting down next to her mother.

"So tell me Hermione," Gemma started as a man brought in a tray of tea and cookies for the women. "Do you like our library?"

"I love it!" Hermione squeaked as she took the offered cup of tea the man handed her. "It's so vast, much larger than the library at Hogwarts." Hogwarts, she suddenly remembered where she should be and her friends that were probably worried sick about her.

"Then please, feel free to spend as much time in here as you like." Jade's mother added with a warm smile after taking a sip from her cup. "Jade spends a lot of her time here as well so she can show you around and our collections. It's good to see someone as young as yourself so adamant about books, it's a rare quality in young people lately." Gemma continued to talk about the witch's education and experience at school as Jade listened quietly sipping her tea. The brunette told them all about the subjects and being muggle born which seemed to fascinate the elder woman. After an hour or so of talking, Gemma excused herself to go assist with lunch, leaving the two younger girls alone.

"Would you like a tour of the estate, Miss Granger?" Jade asked kindly as her blue eyes glanced at the witch.

"Jade," Hermione started as she stood up and smiled. "I asked you to call me Hermione." The lycan just smiled and nodded as she swept her arm in front of her motioning for the brunette to go in front of her. As they walked out onto the grounds, the sun was shining brightly with a slight breeze that signaled fall was moving in. "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything Mi-ahem, Hermione." The lycan answered cheerily as they walked down the stairs and took a gravel path to the right of the fountain.

"Why are you helping me?" The witch asked as they neared a very large white barn with a white fence corral next to it that was lined with pine trees. "I mean, I appreciate it greatly. I don't know what they would've done to me if I had gone back, but I'm a complete stranger and your family was welcomed me here with open arms as if I'm a longtime friend."

"Call it chivalry." Jade answered as they reached the barn and the brunette awed at the number of horses it held. In the paddock Valnad was out with three other white horses grazing. "It's not dead, just forgotten. Anyway, I wasn't going to let them take you after you begged me not to. How would I be able to sleep at night?"

"Will you at least tell me more about you?" Hermione asked quietly as Jade took her to an indoor arena where all the weanling foals were held.

"I think you'll learn more if you spend more time with me." The lycan answered as she grabbed a few sugar cubes from her pocket and offered them to a fuzzy white foal. "You can't rely on words when you want to get to know someone. How do you know they're not lying?"

"You don't seem the type of person to lie." The younger witch said with a smirk. "How old are you at least?"

"Twenty." Jade answered as she gave the witch a sugar cube to give to the foals. "Twenty-one in December. How about you?"

"Just turned eighteen in September." Hermione answered as she giggled when feeling the colt's lips nuzzle her hand for the treat. "Are you an only child?"

"I have a younger brother that's a little younger than you." The blue eyed girl answered as she walked out a side door to the paddock where the adult horses were grazing separately from Valnad. "His name is Jaxyn and you'll be meeting him at lunch I'm sure."

"Are you always so nice?" The witch pressed as they watched the herd graze and a few came over to greet them as they leaned against the fence. Jade chuckled as she rubbed a brown and white horse's nose affectionately before glancing over at the shorter girl.

"You'll have to figure that out on your own." There was a teasing lilt in the lycan's voice as they walked towards the back yard of the palace. "Are you an only child?" Chestnut waves bobbed as Hermione nodded and looked around at the landscaping of the grounds. There was a large balcony off the back of the palace that over looked an enormous pond and a shorter hedge maze. The brunette was in awe as Jade told her about fishing and how the estate land stretched very far and she'd have to take her on a ride some time to see all of it. As they walked around the back yard towards the other side of the palace, Hermione's hand brushed against Jade's lightly and she blushed as the taller girl smiled warmly at her before gently grasping her hand. "Let me show you around town." Hermione's heart started to race as Jade laced their fingers and they headed towards the front gate. The guards bowed before opening said gate and the girls thanked them.

"How long has this village been here?" Hermione asked as her eyes wandered the larger houses and shops as she passed. There were three other very large houses that stood out in the little town, each at different areas of the village. "Who lives in those big houses?"

"You'd have to ask my father to be exact on the time, but those houses belong to the other three old, noble families that merged to create Fristad." The lycan said as she pointed down the street towards the barrier at the large brick home with dark blue flags, fringed with gold flying on the outside. "The Leys live there. They are an old lycan family with a lot of money and power. The heads of the three families are part of my father's council and Mr. Ley also owns the local pub." She then pointed to the southeast at another large house that was white with red and gray flags adorning the front. "The Cunningham's live there, they aren't a very old family, probably only hundreds of years old, but very respected nonetheless since their family is very talented in the medical arts. And finally, that house," Jade pointed to the southwest at house decorated with green and white flags. "Is where the Delmonte clan lives. Another older family who has a lot of influence in Great Britain."

"What about that house over there?" The brunette pointed at a weary looking brown mansion to the northwest. "That one looks empty."

"That estate used to belong to the Kaczek's." Jade's voice got serious as she eyed the run down building. "The head of the clan, Balund, used to be the alpha, but he was using his power and influence to coerce the citizens and take their money. He almost sent us to war over a personal matter that could've killed us all. That's when my father challenged him for the position. That man in the forest, that was his son, Vladimir. He's still kind of sore about it."

"Your society is very complex." Hermione mused as she kept eyeing all the buildings and the people walking past her that gave her shocked expressions as if she was something unusual.

"There are several books in the library that touch on the hierarchy and whatnot." A smiled played on the taller girl's lips as she gently squeezed Hermione's hand. "They can shed more light than I can, but we are the first families to merge together. Usually wolves are too selfish to join other packs, even if it is to be stronger." The rest of the time was spent in the town Jade showed Hermione around the market place and shops where she could find clothes or writing supplies if she needed.

"Jade!" Hermione looked over to her right as someone called the lycan's name and a red headed girl wearing a yellow sun dress who was jogging towards them.

"Damn." Jade cursed under her breath as she turned and faced the red head. The brunette blushed as Jade's grip tightened on her hand, and to her relief her escort didn't notice.

"Where have you been all morning?" The girl asked as she reached the couple. Her hair was shoulder length and curled into ringlets that bounced whenever she took a step. "We were supposed to go on a walk together in the gardens after breakfast." Suddenly her hazel eyes fell on Hermione who smiled shyly at her. "And who is this?" The red head frowned slightly as she looked the brunette up and down before noticing they were holding hands.

"Hermione," The blue eyed lycan introduced as she cleared her throat. "This is Mena Cunningham. Mena, this is Hermione Granger." Mena eyed the brunette suspiciously before offering her hand and the brunette took it.

"A pleasure." Mena greeted nonchalantly. "Now, Jade, about that walk."

"I'm sorry Mena," The lycan said as she rubbed the back of her neck with her free hand. "My father sent me out on patrol and I just returned about an hour ago. Then I was showing Hermione around town so I guess we will have to take that walk some other morning." Mena huffed as she folded her arms over her chest.

"I will have Sarah speak with Finn when I know I'm free." With that, the red head bowed and scowled at Hermione before turning on her heel. Jade sighed heavily and gently pulled the brunette back towards the palace.

"I'm very sorry Hermione." Jade sighed as she looked down at the brunette. "I didn't mean for you to be in the middle of that." Their hands hadn't separated since the beginning of their walk and Hermione was enjoying the warmth emanating from the lycan's hand.

"I take it she's the daughter of the Cunningham's?"

"The eldest, and she's…well," Her free hand ran through black locks as blue eyes closed momentarily as they walked back towards the palace. "She's trying to court me. That's why I wasn't around my home this morning. She's a little overbearing at times."

"I couldn't tell." The witch teased as she smirked at Jade who just shook her head. "Do you have to court her?"

"It's polite to at least give suitors a chance when someone tries to court, but I think it's mainly her father who wants us to be together." As they neared the estate again, the gate opened and instead of taking the straight path towards the courtyard, the lycan pulled Hermione into the hedge maze. "The eldest child of each of the noble families are expected to try and court the eldest of the alpha, though it's not necessary for me to choose someone from their families, or a lycan even. As it's not necessary for them to court me. It's more following tradition than anything."

"So it wasn't love at first sight with Mena?" Hermione teased as Jade laughed and shook her head while they made their way through the maze.

"No, thank the gods." They came into a clearing where an old well sat and they stopped to sit for a moment in the sun. "When lycans choose mates, we mate for life. I don't think I could spend my life with Mena."

"Then how do you know?" The brunette was more than curious as she sat down on the lush grass and looked up at Jade who sat on the edge of the stone well. "How do you know the right person for you?"

"It can be as simple as a touch or a look." Jade answered as she looked up at the cloudless sky. "It's different for all lycans, but when you feel it you know." Hermione began pulling grass up from the ground and twirl it between her fingers.

"And it could be anyone?" Hermione asked quietly as she glanced up at the blue eyed girl who seemed to be soaking the sun into her very being.

"Anyone who is humanoid." A smile spread across Jade's lips as she sighed. "Lycan, muggle, wizard, werewolf, vampire. It won't matter once we know we want to be with one another. My mother is half witch and half lycan, so that gives my brother and I the ability to use magic when we shift. Not common among lycan clans, but not unheard of."

"That's amazing." The witch was thoroughly intrigued as she stretched her arms, but she couldn't stray from the subject at hand. "What if they don't return your feelings?" Hermione thought it strange that with just one look or a touch, someone could fall in love. The muggle and wizarding world didn't leave much room to believe in such relationships.

"It's rarely heard of." A breeze blew gently and Jade tucked her hair behind her ear to keep it out of her face. "But we can either try and find another to be with or be alone. Once a lycan falls in love though, that's it. There will never be another that can compare, so if they choose someone else it will never be a love that's whole."

"That seems unfair." The brunette said quietly as she took a deep breath into her lungs.

"That's why most choose to be alone if they can't have their true mate." Jade looked down at Hermione and smiled warmly. "Sometimes I envy the freedom humans have with love. You can fall in love as many times as you'd like and still be free to love another without the continuous feeling of loss." They sat in silence for a moment before Jade stood and offered her hand to the younger girl. "Let's talk about something else. Such intense conversation for our first day together." Hermione smiled and took the offered hand. Jade knew her way through the tall maze and soon they were in the front courtyard by the fountain where a young man sat lazily.

"Jade!" The boy yelled as he jumped up and ran towards the girls. "Where have you been, sister? You missed a good brawl in town earlier with Aiden and I. Those Kaczek cousins were talking bad of our families again." Gray eyes looked at the brunette as a wise smile spread on the boy's face. "This must be Miss Granger?" He bowed slightly as Hermione offered to shake his hand and he kissed it causing her to blush.

"Call me Hermione, please." She said gently as the raven haired boy smiled charmingly.

"I'm Jaxyn, Jade's younger brother." He smiled again and puffed out his chest slightly as the blue eyed girl shook her head. "So, are you two back for lunch? Mom's got a feast prepared as usual, come on." Jaxyn was almost a replica of Thrash, except that he had his mother's warm smile and nose.

"He's also a charmer." Jade whispered as they entered the palace and took the hall to the right of the stair case. The second door on the left revealed a large dining room the size of the Great Hall at Hogwarts with a long dining table in the center with several more seats than needed. Thrash was already at the head of the table with his wife to his right as the trio entered and Hermione felt Jade tense her hand as she noticed a blonde sitting at her mother's right side.

"I hope you don't mind," Gemma said with a smile as Jaxyn chuckled and elbowed his sister in the arm. He took a seat across from his mother so Jade was sitting across from the blonde and Hermione sat on her left next to the lycan girl. "I invited Miss Ley over for lunch. She's been waiting to speak with you for a while now."

"Of course not." The lycan answered quietly as she bowed her head to the blonde girl who was in a stunning light blue gown. "How are you Rayna?" The blonde bowed her head and smiled alluringly at Jade.

"Very well, thank you." Her bright green eyes flashed to Hermione who bowed slightly since she was sure this girl was the eldest of the Ley clan. "Who is this charming girl Jade? A new pet?"

"Please don't speak of her like she's isn't here." Jade said in a very firm tone and Rayna bowed her head again as the brunette eyes the blue eyed girl carefully.

"My apologies," Miss Ley said sweetly as she turned to Hermione as food began to be brought out on silver platters. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"Could've fooled me." Jaxyn mumbled and Jade kicked him from underneath the table.

"Perhaps you should tell Miss Granger that." The blue eyed girl said coldly as she glanced up at Rayna's smug smile.

"This is Miss Granger," Thrash answered light heartedly as he smiled at Hermione. "She's going to be a guest here for a while. She's a student from the wizarding school and was attacked in the forest this morning. Jade brought her back to recuperate."

"Ah, a witch." Rayna cooed as she took a sip from her goblet. "How very intriguing, tell me witch, how did you come to be here with Jade?" Jade growled as she glared at the blonde across from her and Hermione saw her eyes flash bright blue.

"She is a guest here and you will treat her with respect." She hissed as her fists clenched on the table. Hermione watched Jaxyn chuckle as he shoved a roll into his mouth. "Don't act like you're superior to anyone in this room Miss Ley."

"You're very touchy this afternoon, Jade." Rayna jeered calmly as she stabbed at her salad. "Tell me, do I have to be a weak little damsel in distress to capture your attention?" The brunette was growing increasingly uncomfortable as she listened to the argument and picked at her food before taking a bite of her salad. Jade growled again as she stood up and slammed her hands on the table, which caused everyone to flinch except Thrash and Jaxyn.

"Maybe I'd pay more attention if you weren't so superficial!" She shoved the table slightly when she removed her hands and stood up straight before throwing her napkin on the plate. "Forgive me I've seen to have lost my appetite." She bowed slightly her father and mother before glaring at the blonde who smirked at her. "If you'll all excuse me." With that, Jade stormed out of the dining hall and slammed the doors behind her.

"You know that's not the way to win my daughter's affection." Gemma chastised calmly as she took a bite of her salad. "Jade is very kind and respectful to everyone, even you when she needs to be." Hermione kept her eyes on her plate as the lycans spoke across from her.

"She needs someone who can complement her personality." Rayna said cheerily as if she had just accomplished something great.

"If you don't mind." Hermione said quietly as she stood and bowed her head at Gemma and Thrash before picking up a sandwich she had made for herself as well as an apple. "I'd like to be excused." Thrash smiled and nodded as Hermione smiled back at him before bowing her head.

"She'll probably be on the balcony." Jaxyn said as she turned to leave. "You can take either hallway up the stairs, at the end there will be another stair case that wraps around to the balcony doors." Hermione turned and smiled before nodding at him. Jaxyn smiled before returning to his own food. "That's the way to win my sister." He said quietly with a smirk.

x-x

Jade sighed heavily as she ran a hand through her hair and leaned on her elbows to rest on the stone wall of the balcony that looked out over the back garden. Rayna always tried to get a rise out of the girl and for some reason the lycan always fell prey to her tricks. Jade growled deeply as she closed her eyes and exhaled loudly. She would have to apologize to Rayna eventually for her behavior, although she didn't want to.

"Jade?" The blue eyed girl turned to see Hermione standing by the door with some food in her hands. "Are you all right?" The lycan smiled as the brunette approached and nodded. "You didn't really eat much, so I brought you something to eat."

"That's very kind of you." Jade smiled as she took the fruit and sandwich from the shorter girl. "I'm sorry you had to witness that, I don't usually lose my temper, but she wasn't very polite to you." Hermione smiled as she leaned against the wall as Jade ate.

"Well she doesn't really know me." The witch said calmly as she looked out over the pond. "And I'm sure seeing you leading me in by the hand, if she's trying to win your affection, wasn't a very pleasant sight to see." The dark haired girl just chuckled and shook her head.

"No I suppose not, but still not a good reason to treat you as she did." Hermione smiled at the taller girl who bit into the apple and closed her eyes. "I don't mean to keep getting you tangled into my personal life."

"Well if I'm going to be here for a while, then I believe it will happen anyway." The brunette said with a bright smile as blue eyes glanced down at her. "The least I can do is listen since you saved me."

"Friends then?" Jade asked as she turned and extended her hand to the witch who grasped it gently and smiled.

"Friends."


	2. Chapter 2

AN: So here's chapter two of Runaway, hope you guys like it and as per normal, ignore my typos and whatnot till I can reread and whatnot :D Leave some feedback my loyal readers.

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Chapter 2: Courting

A couple weeks passed swiftly into mid-October with Jade and Jaxyn showing Hermione around town and the layout of the palace that others didn't know about. On a warm fall day, Jade peeked as her brother was fishing with Hermione on the banks of the pond while the blue eyed lycan was training with her mentor, Lucas, and her mother. She was blindfolded and Lucas was trying to sneak up on her as her mother would cast spells randomly. They had been training for almost an hour when Jade's hearing picked up Hermione's alluring laughter and she turned toward the sound before getting knocked forcefully to the ground.

"You have to keep your focus, Jade." Lucas chastised as he shook the dirt from his graying hair and pulled the girl up off the ground. "You're very distracted today, is something wrong?"

"She's smitten, Lucas," Gemma teased as she dusted her daughter's shoulders off. "Can't seem to get her to focus on anything with the young Miss Granger around." Jade scowled at her mother as she shook her head of access dust.

"I'm not smitten." The blue eyed lycan argued as she glanced over at her brother and the brunette who were chatting together. "I've just got a lot on my mind." That wasn't really a lie. She had been dealing with several advances from Mena and Rayna wanting to spend more time than she was willing to give.

"Well maybe going for a ride will clear your head." Lucas teased as he pushed her towards the pond. "We will train again later. Maybe then you'll be able to focus on something other than that girl." The lycan girl just frowned as she looked over her shoulder at her mentors who were smirking at her. As she neared her brother, she heard them talking and quieted her steps.

"So what do you think of Jade so far, Hermione?" Jaxyn asked as he cast his line out lazily and glanced at the young witch.

"She's very kind." Hermione answered as she bobbed her line in the water trying to snag a bite. "And very mature for her age. Sometimes I forget she's only twenty. Why do you ask?"

"Well, you guys spend a lot of time together." He smirked as he looked at her again. "I just wondered how you felt is all. I mean, with all the other families trying to get her together with their eldest sons or daughters. Rayna and Mena obviously being the most adamant." Hermione frowned slightly at Rayna's name. The time she had been in Fristad, the blonde had done all she could to make her feel unwelcome and the witch had just accepted it even though Jade or Jaxyn was always there to defend her.

"I can't imagine Jade with either of them really, and I haven't even met who the eldest child is of the Delmonte family." She paused for a moment to reel her line back in and cast it out once more as Jade continued to listen in silence.

"That's because he is a very important figure head in Glasgow." Jaxyn answered calmly. "His name is Dante and he left a year or so ago to pursue his dreams in politics, but he's do back soon for the Annual Winter Ball that will be held in the middle of Decembe. It's sort of a chance to catch up with the old families and celebrate Jade's birthday at the same time. So he'll definitely be back for that."

"Will he try and court Jade too?" Hermione asked quietly.

"What are you guys talking about?" Jade asked suddenly deciding it was the right time to end their conversation. Hermione jumped slightly which made the lycans chuckle.

"Just fish talk." Her brother answered with a smirk. Though he knew better than to doubt his sister's hearing. "Nothing all too exciting." The brunette nodded with a slight hint of red on her cheeks as Jade raised an eyebrow at her.

"Do you mind if I steal her away from you?" The lycan girl asked politely as she stepped forward and put her hand on the small of Hermione's back. "I think it's my turn to spend some time with her." Jaxyn bowed his head with a smile.

"Of course." He said as he took the fishing pole from the brunette. "I'll see you later Hermione." Jaxyn waved as he walked back towards the palace and sat down at a table with his mother for tea. Jade smiled as she offered her hand to the witch who took it with a warm smile.

"When do you think Jade will tell her?" The young man asked his mother as he watched the girls head towards the stables. Gemma smiled as she stirred her tea lazily.

"Not until she's sure that Hermione feels the same I'm sure." She took a long sip and let out a contented sigh. "Your sister isn't one to rush or push her feelings onto someone."

"Do you think she even knows yet?" Jaxyn asked as he glanced at his mother. "I mean, she can be rather dense sometimes."

"Probably not." His mother chuckled as she smiled at her son who sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair. "She'll try and pass it off as friendship, but she'll realize it soon enough."

x-x

"Pick any horse you want." Jade said gently as they walked through the barn where the horses stood calmly in their stalls. "You can even ride Valnad if you like." The tall black horse was already saddled and waiting for Jade as Hermione walked along the aisle inspecting the horses, stopping at each one to speak gently to them. She finally walked back towards Jade and picked a buckskin paint gelding that was nudging her hand.

"I choose him." Hermione stated kindly as she reached over and rubbed his nose. "Jade smiled as she grabbed a halter and rope to put on the horse before leading him out and fastening him in the cross ties. "What's his name?"

"Beau." The lycan chimed kindly as she saddled the horse and cinched his girth which he snorted at lightly. "He's actually Valnad's half-brother." Jade pointed down the aisle to a large elegant, black and white horse in the indoor arena. "That's Auberon, their father and my dad's horse." She finished tacking up the paint and led both steeds into the back garden before stopping and letting the black horse graze. "Ready?" Hermione nodded and hoisted herself up into the saddle and took the reins from the lycan. Jade followed suit on Valnad and trotted up next to Hermione before taking a slight lead. "Have you always known how to ride?"

"My aunt had a couple horses on her farm and she taught me how when I was little." Hermione answered as they made their way to the back of the estate on a lightly beaten trail towards open land. "I rode every summer up until I was fifteen, then things got more difficult with everything that was going on in the wizarding world and I couldn't visit as much." The lycan girl nodded as Beau neighed and trotted to get ahead of the black horse and his rider.

"It seems Beau wants to race." Jade smirked and glanced over at the brunette with a spark in her blue eyes. "Are you up for it Hermione?" The witch pursed her lips and rubbed her chin in thought.

"I don't know Jade," The girl seemed to be thinking intently as she tried to hold her horse back. "It's been a while since I've really ridden."

"We don't have to…" Before Jade could finish her thought, Hermione clucked to her horse and he took off at a steady lope. The lycan smirked to herself as she gently nudged Valnad in the sides and he changed pace to gain on the painted horse. "That was unfair!"

"I never said I was fair!" Hermione yelled back at the lycan as the black horse began to catch up, which made Beau surge forward. "Can't you keep up, Jade?" She giggled as she let her horse run free.

"Oh, I can keep up!" The lycan yelled back as she urged Valnad forward and he was eager to oblige, not liking another horse being ahead of him. The black horse caught up as they raced down the trail towards a patch of woods and blue eyes couldn't help but watch as chestnut locks flowed gracefully in the breeze while her heart skipped a beat when Hermione looked over her shoulder with a bright smile on her lips. "Wow." Jade said to herself.

"What was that?" The witch called as she looked back again and Jade shook her head before urging Valnad to go faster.

"I said I'm winning!" Valnad pushed farther as he ran side by side with Hermione, but the brunette wasn't ready to back down. "First to the tree line wins." Hermione smiled as she crouched lower and Beau lunged forward, pulling ahead of the black steed who perked his ears up and Jade kissed to him. The horses seemed to be enjoying the race as they ran neck and neck until Valnad neighed and passed the paint as they reached the trees. Jade slowed Valnad who wasn't eager to stop and Hermione did the same. "I told you I was going to win."

"Barely!" The brunette exclaimed as they started walking again with a couple of tired horses. "I don't know where Valnad gets his energy, but I can tell he doesn't like to lose." Jade smirked as she patted her horses neck as a layer of sweat began to form.

"We are sort of competitive." The lycan turned her horse into the woods as she looked back at Hermione. "There's a pond a bit into the woods. Let's give them a good rest before we head back, yeah?" The witch nodded as they weaved through trees until they reached a sun bathed clearing with a sparkling pond in the middle. Jade halted the black horse and slid off before removing his saddle and leading him towards the water as Hermione did the same with Beau. "So do I get anything for winning? I think it's only fair since you cheated." Jade teased as they sat along the bank while the horses drank and grazed.

"I didn't cheat." The brunette feigned surprise with a smirk on her face. "It's not my fault you fell for my innocence." The lycan chuckled as she ran a hand through her wind whipped hair. Brown eyes looked at the girl closely as the sun reflected off the water and into Jade's eyes. "What kind of prize do you want?" Jade smiled as she moved closer and laid her hand over the younger girl's gently. Hermione blushed prettily as she looked into her eyes.

"What do you think I deserve?" Jade asked gently as she tossed a pebble into the water and Hermione felt herself getting caught up in the lycan's gaze. The brunette had grown very close to the girl over the past weeks and was confused on what she had been feeling for the her lately. She knew once, she had feelings for Ron, but being around Jade was almost intoxicating. Looking into blue eyes made her feel hypnotized and she was always treated with the utmost respect and never ignored her for quidditch. Deciding to be bold, Hermione leaned forward and softly placed a kiss on Jade's cheek.

"Is that acceptable?" Hermione's voice was a whisper as she pulled away to look into blue eyes and giggled when she noticed the older girl blushing ever so slightly.

"I think I can accept that." The dark haired girl smirked as she gently squeezed Hermione's hand and laid back in the thick grass. "Are you happy Hermione?" The Gryffindor looked down at the lycan girl and smiled.

"Of course I am, Jade." She answered cheerily as she watched her horse graze eagerly. "More than anything I feel safe here, with you."

"I'm glad." Jade answered simply as she turned her head to look up at the younger witch. "I want you to feel safe here and be happy. I know you miss your friends and I want to know you're doing all right here."

"I do miss them." Hermione admitted as she began to twirl some grass between her fingers. "But being able to owl them has helped so I can at least know how they're doing. Believe me Jade, I'm much happier here than I ever could've been at school."

"I'm happy to hear that." The older girl smiled warmly and laced their fingers together.

"What about you? Are you happy Jade?"

"Happier than I have been in a long time." The brunette blushed as the lycan softly squeezed her hand and flashed a charming smile. "It's nice to have someone like me for who I am, not because I'm the alpha's daughter. Courting has been rather tedious. I hope you know I'd rather spend time with you than Mena or Rayna."

"Oh, Jaxyn mentioned something this morning about Rayna coming over this evening." Hermione added out of nowhere as she tapped her chin. Jade groaned loudly and slapped her palm on her forehead. "And yes I know you don't like spending much time with either of them."

"That should be fun." The sarcasm was dripping from the lycan's voice as she slid her hand down her face. "I'm sure she'll be a joy to be around." Hermione smiled and laid down next to the older girl letting out a satisfied sigh.

"Try not to think about it too much." The witch said softly as she took in the sunlight. "I know you don't really like her, but try to tolerate her. When will her courting be over?" Jade sighed heavily as she turned her head to look at the brunette to see the sun dancing off her hair.

"Not until I find a mate."

"So this could go on for years." Hermione whispered as Jade nodded and sighed again. "You could have to deal with Rayna for a long time?"

"I'm afraid so." The lycan answered quietly as she stretched her arms out over her head. "Sad isn't it? Especially since I don't feel anything for either of them. Rayna is just too persistent and wants the status, not me."

"I don't know who couldn't be into you." The witch said as she leaned up on her elbow to look down at the blue eyed girl. "You're smart, respectful, and incredibly noble."

"Not to mention attractive." Jade teased as she smirked up at the brunette. Hermione giggled as she nudged the girl in the shoulder. "Do you think any of them would be a good match for me?"

"Well I don't know Dante," The brunette said as she watched a fish jump from the surface of the water and splash back down. "But so far, not really. Rayna's is too much of an antagonist and Mena is…too immature."

"Well she just turned seventeen." The lycan sighed and sat up as Valnad nudged her cheek affectionately. "So it sort of makes sense why she's a bit immature. I don't think she even knows what she really wants yet." The sun was beginning to set as Jade leaned forward and rested her chin on her knees and sighed. "The ball will be even worse, not exactly the best way I'd like to spend my birthday, but I can't really argue. I just so happened to be born on the date of the annual gathering of the whole town. Lucky me huh?"

"Chin up." Hermione smirked as she splashed some water at the taller girl with her foot. "You'll have a lot of beautiful and handsome people there to mingle with so maybe you'll find someone who suits you better."

"What about you?" Jade chuckled as she wiped the water from her face and flung the access at the brunette's face. "Maybe you'll find someone to sweep you off your feet." Hermione frowned slightly and furrowed her brow. "Oh, I forgot about Ron. I'm sorry. Have you heard any news from him or his sister?" Brown locks swished as she shook her head and sighed.

"The last I heard was a few days ago from Ginny." She had told Jade of her friends at school and what Ron and Harry were out doing while she wanted to stay at school to help her other friends. "And all she said was that they were safe and had already found the real locket, but haven't found a way to destroy it yet."

"I'm sorry to hear." The lycan's voice was gently as she put her arm around Hermione's shoulders to try and keep the witch from thinking about it too much. "But at least they're making head way. Anyways, why don't we head back, I'm sure if I'm not there when Rayna arrives she'll blow something up." Hermione giggled as Jade helped her up and as she went to turn around, her toe caught on the ground which caused her to fall forward and into Jade's chest. The lycan gasped as she wrapped her arms around the brunette's waist to hold the girl steady. Hermione was blushing furiously with her face against the lycan's chest and she was almost too embarrassed to look up until she heard Jade chuckle softly. "Are you ok?" The brunette nodded without looking up and swallowed hard as her brown eyes glanced up to see blue eyes smiling down at her. Time seemed to stop as Hermione leaned back to look properly into Jade's eyes and felt herself getting lost as the lycan gently moved a stray curl away from her face. Not seeing Ron in almost four months had made the witch question more and more the feelings she thought she had for him and the feelings she was feeling for the lycan now. She thought at first she felt so much admiration for the older girl because she had rescued her, but as time passed it was becoming more evident that it wasn't just admiration or appreciation. With Ron it was almost expected she be with him, but the feelings she had for the red head were on the verge of brotherly love and extreme aggravation.

"Y-yes." Hermione stuttered as she regained her composure and tried to will the blush from her cheeks. "Sorry, I must've lost my footing." A charming smirk was playing on the lycan's lips as she maintained the hold on the witch's waist to make sure she was steady. "A-are you ready to head back?" Jade nodded as she went and lifted Valnad's saddle and gently placed it back on the tall horse's back. She glanced over her shoulder to see the brunette talking affectionately to Beau as she cinched the girth and Jade smiled as the horse didn't fuss when the brunette tightened it. Everything was changing without either of them noticing too much. Jade couldn't stop the feeling of comfort when around Hermione and found it more difficult to focus on anything when she was anywhere near. She sighed as she finished tacking the black steed and saw that Hermione was already mounted on Beau and smiling at her.

x-x

"You must send the girl away!" A man with graying brown hair shouted as he stood in Thrash's office. He was wearing a dark blue coat lined with gold as he watched the alpha fold his hands and rest his chin on them nonchalantly. "She will bring that dark wizard down upon us if she remains here, Thrash!" The alpha sat calmly behind his desk as the man paced in front of him.

"Does this have anything to do with your daughter, Dinaeus?" Thrash asked curiously as he straightened up and looked the man in the eyes. "She has been trying to court Jade for some time now with no success."

"Do you really think Rayna is worried about some muggle-born witch with no noble blood in her veins?" Dinaeus spat as he shook his head with a scowl. "There'd be no contest between them, but I'm worried about the well-being of our home as well as our people if those wizards come searching for her!"

"Very well, old friend." The alpha answered calmly as he stood and turned to look out the large window and saw his daughter and Hermione riding back from the woods. "We will address this at the next council gather on All Hallow's Eve. Agreed?"

"Agreed, sir." The elder Ley bowed his head and turned to leave. "I hope the relationship that girl has with our daughter won't affect any decisions." With that, Dinaeus left and Thrash sighed heavily as he watched the girls make their way back to the stables. This could be are a rather difficult meeting, seeing as Jade was officially part of the council and the alpha couldn't see his daughter agreeing to cast the witch out of the village without protection.

"What was that all about?" Gemma asked as she came into the office with a tray of tea for the alpha. "Dinaeus seemed rather upset. Did something happen between you two?"

"He wants me to give Hermione over to the school." Thrash answered quietly as she took his tea and dropped two sugar cubes in it. "Dinaeus seems to think that she's going to bring the dark wizard, Voldemort down upon us. What do you think my love?"

"I think Jade will detest to that." The woman answered with a smile as she sat on one of the chairs in his office. "I think that if you cast the girl out, she'll go with her." Gemma sighed and sipped her tea as her husband ran hand through his hair. "She's friends with Harry Potter, did you know that? We were talking about it the other day in the library, so I'm sure she has a role to play in this war."

"Do you think so?" The man asked curiously as he sat down next to his wife who smiled warmly at him. "She is a very bright girl isn't she? When she's not with Jaxyn or Jade, I often see her in the library reading book after book, not caring what it's about as long as she hasn't read it already."

"Let's not worry about it for now." His wife said calmly as she poured her husband more tea. "Mull it over when it's not fresh in your mind and when you've spent more time with the girl."

x-x

As Jade and Hermione were walking back from the stable after wiping their horses down with a damp sponge, blue eyes noticed Rayna sitting with Jaxyn at the table by the pond and she sighed heavily. Hermione glanced at her and nudged her gently with her shoulder.

"It won't be that bad." The brunette whispered as they neared and Jaxyn and Rayna stood before bowing their head to the raven haired girl. "I'll see you later?" Jade nodded as the witch smiled at Jaxyn and Rayna before disappearing into the manor.

"Well," Jaxyn said while stretching his arms over his head and groaning. "I guess I'll leave you two to it then." Jade sighed as she ran her hand through her hair and glanced over at Rayna who was examining her nails.

"So then," The lycan sighed as she took a step towards the blonde. "What would you like to do today, Miss Ley?" Rayna shook her head and walked past Jade and into the gardens as the blue eyed girl rolled her blue eyes.

"You've been rather distracted lately." Rayna chimed as she walked forward into the maze and let her finger tips brush against rose petals. "I've barely seen you and Mena has been quite the insufferable child since you keep rejecting her."

"You'd think she'd get the message." The beta sighed sarcastically as she trailed behind the blonde lycan. "And well, you know how we find our mates, Rayna. We feel almost instantly if there's a connection."

"But you know you can be with someone even if you don't feel something." Green eyes glanced over her shoulder and looked carefully at the beta. "Political appearances and all that. So why don't you just choose me and be done with it. I'm more than fitting since Mena is still a child and Dante being a bit out of the picture and you preferring women." Rayna finally stopped to sit on a bench in an open area of the maze and Jade stood calmly in front of her.

"I don't want to be with someone I don't feel anything for." Jade ran a hand through her hair and shoved her free hand in her pocket. "We were friends, Rayna, you knew these things about me. Now that we've grown up all of a sudden you want the title?"

"We'd be great alphas." The blonde mused as a smile spread on her lips as she plucked a rose and twirled it between her fingers. "Can you imagine it?" Her green eyes were bright with determination as she tossed the rose to Jade who caught it easily before cutting her finger on one of the thorns. Rayna walked over and took Jade's hand into her own before bringing the finger up and licking the blood away. "I know you have feelings for that witch." The beta tensed and scowled at the blonde before pulling her hand away and dropping the rose to the ground. "You don't hide it very well, the way you look at her or the way you speak to her. You're like an open book."

"I don't know what you're talking about." The blue eyed girl retorted as she folded her arms over her chest indignantly. "Hermione is just a friend." Rayna scoffed as she put her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes.

"Please," The elder Ley argued as she walked towards the beta wolf. "I've known you for years, don't try and tell me what I clearly see."

"We're done here." Jade turned back towards the entrance of the maze and began walking as she heard Rayna trail after her.

"Jade," Rayna's voice was amused as neared the irritated girl. "Jade, wait, no need to get upset about it. I'm just telling you what is so obvious." Jade ignored the girl as she made her way through the maze and back towards the manor. Soon, the pond came into view and the blue eyed lycan sighed when she saw Gemma and Hermione having tea with Lucas. "She's not of noble birth, even more disturbing is she's not a lycan. She's just a witch and nothing special about her."

"You're wrong." The beta shook her head and glared at the blonde lycan before whispering her response. "Hermione is special, regardless of her title or what she is. You'd do well to remember that." Jade turned on her heel and stalked towards the palace. Gemma, Lucas, and Hermione bowed their heads as the beta stormed by and as Rayna groaned before walking past them towards the front of the house. On her way back, the blonde shot a glare at Hermione who glanced sideways as she walked by.

"She sure has her eyes on you." Gemma said calmly as she looked at Hermione, while Lucas chuckled quietly. Hermione just exhaled heavily as she ran a hand through her curls.

"I suppose I should go get her." Lucas said as she stood up and scratched the back of his head. "We do have a training session to make up for before dinner." Suddenly, there was a gently hand on his forearm as Gemma was shaking her head.

"Let Hermione go." She said wistfully as she shot a knowing glance to the trainer who was looking at her in a confused manner. "I'm sure Jade would be less likely to snap at young Miss Granger than you, Lucas, no offense." The man smirked and waved his hand dismissively before sitting back down while Hermione was watching them closely.

"None taken, ma'am," His hazel eyes looked down at Hermione as he ran his fingers through his short, dark grey hair. "So, Hermione, will you go retrieve Miss McHale for us?"

"I…I suppose so." Hermione stumbled over her words as she stood up and bowed towards Gemma and giving Lucas a questioning glance. "I'll, hopefully be back in a few moments."

x-x

Jade made her way through the corridors smoothly as she fumed about Rayna's words.

**_How dare she belittle Hermione like that. _**She growled in her head as she pushed the doors open to the dining/ball room with a grunt and sighed heavily. All she wanted to do was be alone and calm her temper. She hated when Rayna would speak ill of Hermione just because she wasn't nobility of or lycan blood. Jade's family had never put importance on purity of blood or height of their status. Everyone was welcome in Fristad, that was the whole point of the town was to be a sanctuary for all if they needed assistance, but Balund Kaczek had tried to make the area exclusive to lycans and those of lycan blood. Now Rayna seemed to think she was better than anyone else, even though, Jade supposed that she had already been that way. Jade closed her eyes and tried to release all the stress in her body with one long sigh.

"A little stressed?" A voice echoed as the doors opened and closed again before Jade turned to see the young witch standing behind her. "I'm surprised you lasted an hour with that girl." Jade heard Hermione's footsteps drawing near as she felt a hand on her arm and she flinched slightly before looking over her shoulder. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Hermione." Jade exhaled against as she kept her back to the brunette and relaxed as she felt the witch slide her hand down her arm to her hand where their fingers entwined. "Just a little…aggravated is all. Did my mother send you in here?" Hermione 'mhm'd' and Jade chuckled as she shook her head. "They must worry about me being alone."

"They just want to make sure you're all right." Hermione said softly as she moved to Jade's sided and looked up at her. The lycan's features were relaxed, but the witch could see the underlying frustration written clearly in her eyes that still avoided the brunette's gaze. "You always get so worked up when Rayna comes to visit."

"Because she knows how to push my buttons." A hand ran through ink black hair that was tinged with orange as the sun was starting to set and Hermione was caught staring once again at the light bouncing off of blue eyes that looked like they were on fire. "It's rather frustrating to stay polite when I know she's doing it on purpose. I'm sorry, I shouldn't be complaining about it. How was the rest of your day?" The brunette smiled and moved so she was standing back in front of Jade before putting her free hand on the lycan's shoulder. Blue eyes widened slightly as she looked down at Hermione finally and her mouth fell open slightly when the brunette moved the other girl's hand to her waist. "Wh-what are you doing?"

"We're going to dance." A charming smile appeared on the witch's face as held their hands to the side and Jade looked around for a moment. "Dancing always helped me relax when I was upset. Just getting lost in the music."

"But there's no music, Hermione." Jade whispered with a smirk, but Hermione was a step ahead as she pulled out her wand and conjured a phonograph that started playing slow, gentle music. "Touché." The younger girl giggled as she put her wand away and placed her hand back on Jade's shoulder.

"Are you going to lead, Miss McHale?" The brunette teased as Jade smirked and on the down beat of the music, she stepped forward and began smoothly, slowly moving around the room. Hermione smiled as she saw the frustration melt from her partner's face as they continued to move around the room. Soon the music got a much slowly pace and instead of steps, they were just slowly moving in circles as the brunette instinctively moved closer to the taller girl. She felt Jade's arms slip around her waist to hold her close as her head rested against the lycan's chest. Hermione was getting dazed as she inhaled slowly and Jade's scent filled her senses, instantly relaxing her body as she hummed and let her eyes flutter shut. She felt, more than heard the blue eyed lycan's chuckle as she smiled.

"You never told me how the rest of your day was." The lycan said softly as they continued to move slowly with each other. Hermione smiled and groaned slightly.

"It wasn't very exciting." She answered quietly as she felt herself getting tired. "I spent some time with your mother in the library and I read some interesting books about the origin of Fristad and your father when he was young. He was quite ambitious, even as a young man." Hermione suddenly remembered why she was supposed to be getting Jade. "Oh, Lucas wanted me to fetch you since he said you were supposed to have a training session before dinner." Jade groaned as she tightened her grip on the girl in her arms before they stopped moving and with a snap of her fingers, the phonograph turned back into a chair. Hermione took a step back with the lycan's hands still on her hips as she looked up into blue eyes.

"Thanks for coming after me." Jade smiled as she tucked a loose curl behind Hermione's ear which caused the witch to blush and avert her gaze to the ground. "And for the dance, you're quite good. Going to be ready for the ball in December, hm?" The brunette nodded as Jade grabbed her hand and they walked out of the dining room together.

x-x

Time passed swiftly and before Hermione could think about anything, it was Halloween and the town was buzzing with small children getting ready for the holiday. Jade was off in a meeting with her father, so she and Gemma were out shopping for dinner.

"Does Jade always sit in on council meetings?" Hermione asked as they perused the markets for vegetables.

"Ever since she turned eighteen." Gemma answered as she examined a head of lettuce and put it in the small basket on her elbow. "Jade is next in line to be alpha in case anything happens to my husband, so it's only natural that she learn the goings on of the political parts of the job. She's very focused most of the time, but I have a feeling this meeting will be rather…distracting for her."

"Why is that?" The witch wondered aloud as they continued on to the next market stand. She had never known Jade to get distracted unless with Rayna, who was, of course, a horrible distraction. Gemma just shrugged her shoulders and smiled kindly at the young brunette.

"They're discussing a very controversial subject." Madame McHale chimed as they dodged a gaggle of giggling children. "I'm sure she'll tell you all about it when the meeting is over."

x-x

"We have to send the girl away!" Dinaeus Ley yelled as he stood up abruptly from his chair at the middle rectangular table where Thrash, Jade, Aiden Cunningham, and Jacque Delmonte were sitting, watching his outburst. "She's a threat to everyone in the village! What if that dark wizard comes looking for her or those two that Jade met in the woods? I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm not willing to get mixed into the war over a teenager." Thrash sighed as the other two men looked at each other and then at Dinaeus.

"Calm down, Dinaeus." Thrash said calmly as he raised a hand to silence the over agitated man. "We have to hear what everyone feels about this. Hermione isn't a threat, not once in the past five decades has anyone stumbled upon Fristad and I don't think Voldemort would just find this place if he was looking." Thrash chanced a glance at his daughter who was sitting at his right side, only to see her hands clenched into fists as they rested on the table. Still, she was staying silent and he was surprised at her control. "Jacque, Aiden…how do you both feel about Miss Granger being here?" There was a thirty something aged man with brown hair and a handsome face with a small patch of facial hair that was neatly groomed on his chin. He rubbed his jaw line in thought as he shut his grey eyes.

"I don't know," Aiden said quietly as he looked back at his alpha. "She doesn't seem to be much of a threat, and I can't justify throwing her back to the wizards who run that school where it seems to be more dangerous. She's just a child, so, no I don't think we should cast her out." Dinaeus scoffed as he folded his arms over his chest and glared at the younger man.

"Jacque?" The alpha looked towards another, older man that had dark grey hair. "Your input?" The Delmonte elder sighed and glanced his green eyes towards their alpha and then back of Dinaeus while Jade watched the man carefully. She knew the Delmonte Clan was susceptible to peer pressure and Dinaeus Ley seemed to throw around his influence whenever her could.

"I tend to agree with Dinaeus," Jade rolled her eyes as she snorted and saw Jacque shoot her a glare. "The girl is drawing those people here and I don't want to get caught in a war that doesn't concern any of us. We should send her away or have someone take her back to the school."

"No." Jade stood and slammed her palms down onto the wooden table. "I don't agree with this. She'll be tortured if she goes back and then whose fault is it if she dies?"

"Her own." Dinaeus said firmly as he narrowed his dark eyes as the beat as she glared back. "She shouldn't have fled in the first place."

"She was doing the right thing helping that centaur escape!" The beta argued. "Would you have tortured a helpless creature if someone told you to?" The other heads of the families looked at one another and then back at Jade who just shook her head and stood up straight. "I saw the look in her attacker's eyes when I rescued her, I don't doubt they would've taken her to the brink of her life if she had gone back."

"That isn't any of our concern." Mister Ley retorted through gritted teeth. "Who is going to fight if that dark wizard comes after her?!"

"I will!" The raven haired girl slammed her fist down on the table as her eyes began to glow dimly. "I'll fight them all if they come for her!" The room fell silent as the other men stared at Jade as she glanced back and forth between them.

"I propose a compromise." Thrash said finally with a calm undertone in his voice. "If Jade is willing to protect her exclusively and takes responsibility for Miss Granger, then she can stay, agreed?" He looked at Jacque who thought for a moment before nodding his head and then at Dinaeus who was practically shaking with anger as he sat down with a huff and nodded reluctantly. Jade took a deep breath to calm her nerves as she saw Aiden give her a small smile before agreeing and Thrash stood up. "It's agreed then," He glanced over at his daughter who looked shyly back. "Jade, Hermione is now your responsibility. If anyone comes after her here, you'll be the one to fight them off. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir." She answered as she turned towards him and bowed her head. "I understand. I will take full responsibility for anything that could happen to Miss Granger." The other three men stood and bowed before making their way out of the conference room. "Thank you, father." Jade said as she kept her head bowed to her father who just chuckled before placing a hand on the back of her head.

"I know how important that girl is to you." Thrash ruffled his daughter's hair as she batted his hand away like a child. "Just keep her safe." With that, the alpha turned and walked out of the room with Jade watching his retreating form. A small smile spread across her lips as finally let out a sigh and ran a hand through her hair as she followed her father's figure and out into the corridors where she saw Jaxyn leaning up against the wall a ways down.

"How'd the meeting go?" The boy asked as he bit into an apple and glanced her way. "I heard that old man yelling about something. Did it get out of hand?" Jade sighed as she walked past him and towards the entry way.

"A bit." She said as she waved her hand dismissively before unclasping the chain on her left shoulder that connected to the high collar of her formal coat. She turned up the stairs to head to her bedroom as her brother followed briskly. "You know how Dinaeus, and the entire Ley clan for that matter, can be when it comes to being dramatic. They wanted to cast Hermione out and send her back to the school."

"Well that's a bit much, don't you think?" Jade nodded as she was about to reach her bedroom and then turned to her brother.

"Obviously I wouldn't let that happen." She murmured before smiling at him. "I'll see you at dinner ok? I just, want a moment to myself before lunch. Dinaeus sort of drains my energy when he's around. I guess the same goes for Rayna."

"You'd think they were vampires instead of lycans." Jaxyn teased as Jade chuckled and he turned on his heal and headed back down the stairs. "I'll see you at lunch." He waved as the blue eyed girl opened her door. She sighed heavily as she removed her coat and hung it back in her closet, before grabbing a deep blue button up shirt from her closet and slipping it on without buttoning it up. Jade made her way to her bed and flopped down on her back with a gentle bounce as her body relaxed at the comfort underneath her. She hadn't seen Hermione all morning since she was in the meeting and the brunette had been scarce the past few weeks with courting and Jade's daily duties. Jade had to admit, she was starting to miss Hermione. The last thing she wanted was for her to be cast out without any protection and sent back to Hogwarts while the dark wizards had control of it. Blue eyes fluttered shut as she exhaled loudly and allowed her mind to calm down. All the stress of the meeting and static of not seeing the brunette that her mind had been producing was fading as she focused on her breathing. Jade was so relaxed to the point of almost sleep that she didn't hear the knocks on her door, or the sound it made when it opened. Hermione poked her head inside and saw Jade lying on her bed with a very relaxed look on her face.

"Jade?" The brunette whispered as opened the door further and took a step inside. "Are you sleeping?" When she heard no response, Hermione made her way quietly to Jade's prone figure. The brunette found herself admiring the taller girl as she quietly moved closer to see Jade's chest rising and falling steady. Hermione smiled as she reached the bed and leaned over the raven haired girl. The brunette was far beyond admitting to herself that Jade was very attractive, but she was still battling with what exactly she was feeling for her. A gentle hand moved forward and brushed a stray lock of hair away from the lycan girl's face as blue eyes fluttered open. They were glazed over with sleep as Jade looked around the room in confusion before groaning and before sitting up tersely. Hermione gasped, but before she could back up enough, the two girl's bumped heads.

"Ah! Hermione, I'm so sorry!" Jade cried as she wrapped her arms around the shoulders of the brunette to make sure she didn't fall backwards, but with her jerky motions, ended up pulling Hermione with her as she fell back on the bed. Brown eyes opened wide as the witch found herself on top of Jade, her face against the lycan's chest and hips in between her legs. Jade was blushing furiously as she kept her arms around the brunette awkwardly as her eyes stayed glued to the ceiling. They stayed like that for a few moments as Hermione tried to will the heat in her cheeks to subside and Jade loosened the hold on the young witch. "Uhm…A-are you, ok?" The lycan's voice was barely a whisper as her blue eyes glanced down at the head of brown locks resting on her chest. Hermione just nodded, afraid to move as she heard Jade's heart drumming in her ears. The brunette finally decided to slowly lift her head to see bright azure eyes looked down at her before the breath caught in her lungs.

"Sorry, Jade." Hermione whispered as she hoisted herself up higher so she was hovering over the raven haired lycan. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah," Hermione backed up a bit more as Jade leaned up and rested on the her elbows as blue eyes ran down the brunette's body to see the compromising position of their bodies on the bed. "Didn't knock your head too hard, did I?" The brunette found herself unable to speak again, so she just shook her head as apologetic blue eyes locked with hers. There was definite tension between the both of them as they both looked away, but neither made a move to move the other. Soon, the lycan found herself leaning up closer to the brunette's face as her eyes darted down to Hermione's lips. The witch felt a flutter in her chest as she bent down to meet Jade and their heads bumped again gently, snapping the brunette out of her daze. Jade seemed to realize what was happening as they both pulled away quickly, blushing and clearing their throats.

"S-sorry." The younger girl mumbled as she sat up in between Jade's legs and brought her hand up to her mouth. "Uhm…I just came to, uh…tell you that lunch is ready." Hermione moved off of the bed, her cheeks still burning as Jade swung her legs over the bed and sat up as the witch walked towards the door.

"Hermione," The lycan called as she rose and the other girl paused before reaching the door knob. "I…I'm sorry, I didn't…"

"Don't worry about it," A small smile spread across the brunette's lips as she opened the door. "Our heads didn't hit too hard. I'll see you down there." Without another word, she closed the door and Jade hung her head and groaned. She ran a hand through her hair and buttoned up her shirt before sighing again. The sunlight was flooding through the windows in the corridors as Jade made her way down the stairs and into the dining area where Jaxyn, her parents, and Hermione were waiting for her. The brunette was avoiding her gaze as Jade bowed to her parents and took her seat across from the witch.

"How did the meeting go, dear?" Gemma asked as the kitchen staff began bringing out food and Thrash glanced at his daughter.

"Well, in my opinion." Thrash said calmly as he picked at his salad and smiled at his wife. "We came to an agreement, if that's what you're wondering. Although, Dinaeus was rather upset, I'm sure Rayna will a bit agitated with Jade the next few days." Hermione, glanced at lycan sitting across from her as she noticed blue eyes narrow.

"He's always been a bit dramatic." His wife mused as she gave her husband a charming smile. "I'm glad that you've come to a solution though."

"Perhaps we should tell Hermione what you're talking about." Jade mentioned as she stabbed some food. "Since it is about her." Brown eyes glanced over at Thrash and then at Jade who nodded. The alpha sighed as he locked eyes with Hermione and smiled at her.

"It is fair," He waved his hand dismissively as the witch watched him closely. "Hermione, this morning, the family heads and I, as well as Jade, had a meeting. The main subject of that meeting, being you." The brunette gasped slightly as her eyes widened at the alpha. "Dinaeus Ley, he wanted me to send you back to Hogwarts. He feared that the Dark lord Voldemort would come looking for you if we didn't." Hermione froze as she realized what Thrash was saying and panic began to fill her body as she dropped her fork and stood up.

"Please," Hermione's voice was whisper as she gazed at the alpha. "You can't…I…I can't go back there! What they'll do to me. Sir, please…" Thrash raised a hand to silence the girl and she quieted as he shook his head.

"I swear to you my dear," He continued as he gave her another kind smile. "We do not plan to send you away. We came up with a compromise, thanks to Jade's interjection." Hermione looked over at Jade whose eyes were closed and she had her hands on her lap. "We decided that Jade was going to be responsible for you. If anyone does come for you, she will be the one to protect you and she alone."

"What?" The witch gasped as she sat back down and sighed, her eyes wide and locked on her table. "Does that mean, if Voldemort does come for me, she's going to fight him?" Thrash nodded as well as Jade. "Alone?" Another nod from the raven haired girl as she finally opened her eyes and looked at Hermione who looked utterly conflicted. "I can't allow that. I…I will go back if it's causing such a conflict with the other families and I agree I could be a threat to the village if I stay here."

"No," Jade stood up and placed her palms on the table as her eyes locked with Hermione's, determination glowing in them. "I'm not letting you leave now, not after speaking with those two in the forest when I found you. It's been decided that you're my responsibility, so I'm not going to let you go like that. We both know you'd be in danger if you go back. I promised to protect you and that's what I'm going to do, you aren't a threat here. Dinaeus is just paranoid." Hermione stayed silent as Jade sat back down and sighed. "I'll keep you safe." Brown eyes looked with concern at Jade who had bright determination in her blue orbs.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3! Don't be surprised if this story doesn't have a large number of chapters, mainly because these are a lot longer than normal, but anyways, here's a new chapter for you and I will be posting another story soon, I didn't get back home till late last night and I finished this chapter with a migraine soooo don't be surprised if there are some typos that I'll fix soon :D Reviews/favorites/follows are appreciated!

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Chapter 3: Don't Look Back

November passed swiftly and was surprisingly pleasant for being early December as Jade was out in the forest scouting with Jaxyn on the morning of the fifteenth. Her brother had been wanting to get out of the house for weeks now after Mena seemed to take more of a liking towards him and had been pestering him relentlessly. Jade found this all very amusing since she really had no interest in courting Mena, or anyone for that matter at the time. The forest was quiet besides the random birds and creatures that lived there, but ever since Jade had made her promise to protect Hermione, the brunette had seemed rather distant.

"You all right, sis?" Jaxyn asked as he pulled his cowl down from over his mouth. He was clad in the same leather armor, except a bit lighter to match with the change in the forest when fall was in full bloom. "You've been really quiet this whole time."

"Just a lot on my mind." Jade said calmly as she put her hood down and sighed. They were venturing a bit closer to the edge of their territory near Hogwarts more often to make sure no one was trying to get it and to put the lycan girl's mind at ease that they had yet to send someone after Hermione. "Besides, when you're scouting you're supposed to be quiet." The older girl teased as she quirked an eyebrow at her brother.

"I know you're worried about Hermione." Her brother retorted as he shot a knowing glare at his sister as they neared the boundary of their lands. The air shifted as they got closer and a chill ran down Jade's spine. This part of the forest always seemed darker than the rest and most of the feared creatures stayed here. Hence why there were so many counts of attacks on students at Hogwarts. "She hasn't been talking to mother or I much lately either. I think she feels guilty." Jade scoffed lightly and fought the urge to roll her eyes. The brunette was very self-sacrificing and blue eyed girl was not ok with that. "Just talk to her about it."

"She hasn't really been up to talk to me lately." The blue eyed girl sighed before turning her attention back to the forest. Nothing in the forest was setting off her senses as the smelled the group of centaurs to their left and nothing else in the forest that didn't belong there. "Come on, Jaxyn. It'll take a good hour or two to get back home on foot." The two lycans turned back in the way they came, pulling their hoods up and covering their faces before jumping up into the trees. Although Jade was relieved to know that the school hadn't sent anyone looking for the young witch, it also made her mind wonder why they hadn't yet if Hermione really was a friend of Harry Potter. The way back was fairly calm as they jumped their way through the canopy and the sun began to shine through again as they neared the barrier of the town. As they neared the ancient tree, a sweet smell filled Jade's senses as she held up her fist for Jaxyn to stop. The stuck close to the body of the tree as she sniffed the air and scanned the ground for any signs of a trespasser. Suddenly, a branch snapped to her right and her blue eyes narrowed before she was tackled out of the branches. She caught a glimpse of platinum blonde hair as she grappled with the intruder as they plummeted to the ground. They both hit solidly as the impact separated them and Jade rolled on the ground, moving swiftly to right herself as she skidded on her feet and crouched defensively as she threw her hood off so she could see. There was a playful laughter that filled the air as her blue eyes fell on a tall blonde woman who was dressed in a forest green outfit with a bow strapped to her back.

"And 'ere I thought that the ever vigilant Jade Mc'Ale could never be caught off guard." Icy blue eyes were sparkling as Jade relaxed and shook her head before looking up at Jaxyn who was still in the trees laughing. "Did I scare you, mon ami?"

"Gods, Fleur!" Jade shouted as she dusted herself off and glared at the girl in front of her who was still giggling. "What if I would've shifted and attacked you?!"

"Then I'm sure that you would've snapped out." Fleur flipped her ponytail over her shoulder and smirked. "Besides, as you know, we Veela 'ave a way of calming other's emotions. I still can't believe I was able to sneak up on you." Jade just huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. The lycans had been sharing their territory with a clan of Veela ever since Jade could remember, and even though Fleur Delacour was only a quarter, she was still welcomed to the natives here since her grandmother was a clan leader in France. "So, what are you two up to?"

"Just scouting." Jaxyn answered as he descended from the trees and put his hood down, smiling at the Veela. "You?"

"The same." The blonde walked over to Jade and kissed both of her cheeks before waving her arm out to her side. "The other scouts said that there was someone in the forest a couple days ago that wasn't lycan or Veela, Arianna and Colette were with me, but after we didn't find anything they 'eaded back. Once I caught your scent though, I couldn't resist 'aving a bit of fun." Jade rolled her eyes and ran a gloved hand through her hair.

"Well we are headed back to Fristad." The dark haired boy said with a smile as he nodded his head towards the elder tree. "Care to visit? It's been ages since any Veela has made an appearance there."

"I'd love to." Fleur answered as she smiled a bright, charming smile at the lycans. "I 'aven't seen your parents since I was very young." As they started walking towards the tree, Jaxyn moved ahead and cut his finger to open the barrier.

"So how long are you here for, Fleur?" The blue eyed lycan asked as the barrier shimmered and they walked through to see the town full of life. "Last time I saw you was almost three years ago when you were visiting for the tournament at Hogwarts." The Veela smiled as she folded her hands behind her back as several people began staring. If you don't know much about Veelas, the first thing you'd notice would be their unnatural beauty, and Fleur was no exception, full blooded or not. Her platinum blonde hair shimmered in the sunlight and her icy blue eyes were hypnotizing whenever she locked eyes with anyone and soon there was a crashing noise as a man walked into a vendor's cart, sending the contents crashing towards the ground. "I see that even lycans are prone to your charms." The Veela just smirked as they made their way through town.

"Not many are." Fleur smiled as they finally reached the gates of the palace. "Imagine if I were full-blooded. There'd be a riot between everyone for my 'and in marriage." The blonde gave a cocky smile as they walked past the guards and into the courtyard. Jade smiled at her friend, for some reason she had never been susceptible to Fleur's thrall and it made their friendship a lot easier. The lycan was only an inch taller than Fleur and if no one knew, you'd never think that Fleur was younger than Jade since she had a very mature air around her. They chatted idly as they made their way towards the manor, Jaxyn joining them randomly as he walked ahead of them.

x-x

Hermione was sitting in the sun room reading when she heard laughing and looked out the window to see Jade, Jaxyn, and a blonde girl she'd never seen walking towards the palace. The blonde was dressed in forest green outfit, similar to Jade and Jaxyn's but lighter and made of cloth instead of leather. As the three drew closer, Hermione's eyes widened when she saw the blonde's face and slammed her book shut before running into the entrance way just as the three were entering.

"Fleur!" Hermione cried as she stopped in front of the blonde and Fleur's eyes widened exponentially. "What are you doing here?!" Jaxyn stopped to look between Fleur and Hermione while Jade did the same.

"'Ermione?" Fleur's eyes widened slightly as if trying to make sure that this brunette was actually Hermione Granger and not a copy. "I could ask you the same question! 'Ow did you get 'ere and 'ow long 'ave you been staying with Jade?" Suddenly Hermione eyes whipped over to Jade who flinched slightly under the brunette's accusing gaze.

"How do you know Fleur?" She asked. The brunette's tone might have been a bit harsher than she wanted, but she was still upset with Jade for making herself 'responsible' for Hermione.

"Well," Jade ran a hand through her hair and rubbed the back of her neck as she looked up in thought. "We've known each other since we were young. Fleur's cousins live in this forest and she started visiting when she was uhm…seven?" Fleur nodded with a smile on her face and Hermione noticed that the blonde was a lot nicer and calmer than she remembered from her fourth year. "We met when the clan came to form a treaty for sharing our land and we've been friends ever since." Hermione felt a strange pang in her body as she watched Jade flash a charming smile at the Veela who smiled back. The brunette had been avoiding her lycan friend for a week or so now because she didn't agree with Jade putting herself in danger for the witch. "I assume you two met when Fleur was here for the tournament?" Hermione nodded silently as she looked down at the ground and sighed trying to fight the twinge in her chest.

"Oui," Fleur answered as she put a hand on Hermione's shoulder which caused the younger witch to jump slightly. "'Ermione is a good friend of 'Arry Potter's and 'e was a champion along with me. She's very bright." The Veela gave Hermione a warm smile before taking a step back and slipping her bow from her back. "I think I'll go find your parents and say 'allo, if you don't mind."

"Not at all, Fleur, I'm sure my mother is in the library." Jade answered as she scratched her head. "And you know where my dad's office is." Fleur smiled and nodded before heading off towards the library and waving. It was a bit awkward since Jade and Hermione hadn't been speaking, needless to say, there was a bit of tension that Jaxyn didn't feel he should stick around for.

"Well, I'll be heading off to change." He said as he made his way towards the stair case as he waved over his shoulder. "I'll see you guys later." Jade glanced over at Hermione who was still looking at the ground.

"Uhm…" The lycan started as she rubbed the back of her neck, but before she could say anything else, Hermione was already turning on her heel and about to walk away. "Hey, wait." Jade reached out and grabbed the brunette's wrist. "Hermione…can't we talk?" The witch didn't say anything, she just stood still and looked forward. "You've been avoiding me for almost a month now. Why haven't you been talking to anyone?" Hermione turned and gave the Jade a pointed look before trying to pull her arm from the lycan's tight grip.

"You're putting everyone here in danger for me." Hermione sighed as she took a step towards the blue eyed girl. "What you're doing, I'm not ok with."

"Well, I'm not ok with you going back." The taller girl retorted as she pulled Hermione closer and the brunette stumbled slightly as Jade pulled her into a hug. "I don't care if you're mad at me for the rest of the time that you're here, but I'm not letting you leave. Why can't you understand that your safety is important to me?" Hermione was blushing furiously as she felt Jade's heart pounding in her ears as her hands rested gently against the taller girl's collarbone. Ever since their moment in Jade's room a month ago, the brunette found herself wanting to avoid Jade for the mere fact that she felt drawn to her whenever she was around. She hadn't heard much from Ron, Harry, or Ginny that it almost seemed like her life at Hogwarts was a distant dream until she saw Fleur and was reminded what was really going on outside of Fristad.

"I don't want anyone here to get hurt." Being in Jade's arms made the girl melt as she finally caved and buried her face in the lycan's chest. "I'm a burden, especially to you or Jaxyn. Your family has been so accommodating to me, I don't know what I'd do if anything bad happened to either of you." Jade sighed as she wrapped her arms firmly around Hermione's shoulders and hugged her. Hermione had missed Jade's presence and was basking in the feeling she was experiencing in the lycan's protective embrace.

"Don't ever think that you're a burden." The lycan muttered as she held Hermione tighter. "You're not a burden and you're not putting anyone in danger. We want you here, Hermione. I'd never let you go back to that school." They stood there like that for a few silent moments, indulging in the each other since neither had seen much of the other and Hermione felt herself melting in the lycan's embrace. "Hermione…"

"Ahem." Jade's head whipped around to see Fleur standing by the stairs with a smug smile on her face. "I 'ate to break up the moment, but I will be leaving now and wanted to make sure I said good bye to Jaxyn. Could you point me to 'is room?" Jade was blushing as Hermione took a step back, face flushed as she looked down at the floor.

"S-sure, Fleur." The blue eyed lycan smiled as she glanced at Hermione whose brown eyes were darting between Jade and the floor. "Uhm…I'll…I'll see you later?"

"Of course," Hermione whispered as she looked over at Fleur and smiled warmly. "It was very good to see you, Fleur."

"I'll be seeing you again soon, 'Ermione." The blonde smiled as she walked forward and hugged the brunette in a friendly manner. "A few of my cousins and I will be attending the ball, so I will see you in a few days." Hermione felt another tug of jealousy as the Veela pulled away and turned towards Jade, remembering how the girl looked at the Yule Ball in her fourth year. Fleur would definitely command the attention of many people there. "Come, mon ami, let's find your brother." Jade nodded before giving Hermione one last glance and heading up to the stairs with Fleur following behind her. The brunette's head was suddenly swimming with the thought of the approaching Winter Ball and then she panicked. She didn't have anything to wear Hermione spun on her heel and jogged towards the library where she hoped Gemma was still. The heavy wooden doors were still open as she made her way in and saw Madame McHale who was sitting in her normal spot on a very plush sofa, reading a rather large book. Light blue eyes looked up with a bit of surprise to see the brunette walking briskly towards her.

"Good afternoon, Hermione." Gemma greeted as she closed her book and smiled brightly at the witch who bowed slightly when she stopped, then sat down on the chair across from the elder woman. "You look a little flustered."

"I…well," Hermione was a bit nervous asking, but after making up with Jade, she was more determined to look her best for the ball. "I was wondering if…if you could help me with something to wear to the ball? I don't really…uhm…" The brunette averted her gaze to the floor and rubbed the back of her neck. "I don't really have anything formal to wear." Gemma smiled as she set her book aside and stood up.

"Of course, Hermione." The blue eyed woman said as she walked around the young witch, studying her body and Hermione felt a little nervous under the McHale's gaze. "Why don't you and I go dress shopping? It'd be a nice bonding experience out of the library."

"I'm sorry, Gemma." The witch mumbled quietly as she shook her head. "But I don't have any money for anything."

"Don't be silly," Gemma waved her hand dismissively as she put her hands on the shorter witch's shoulders in a calming manner. "You're a guest here and think of it as payment for keeping Jade sane these past few weeks." Hermione blushed as Gemma shot her a knowing smile before walking past her towards the doors. "Come dear, let's get to town before the shops close."

x-x

The ball was only a few hours away now and Jade was becoming more and more stressed as Rayna was being more persistent than normal since it was technically the blue eyed lycan's party and of course, Rayna wanted to be her date. Jade was now training with Lucas out in the back courtyard and was trying to burn some of her frustration out on her mentor. She threw a hard right hook and barely missed Lucas's face.

"Woah!" He leaned back and dodged before sidestepping out of the path of a left upper cut, followed by a very well executed butterfly kick. "Hey! Take it easy!" Jade just growled as her eyes began to glow and sent a series of jabs at the man's face. Finally, Lucas had had enough and caught the girl's arm before throwing her up and over, slamming her hard on her back. "What's up with you today, Jade? You're usually so focused." He released the lycan as she sat up and huffed before dusting her shoulders off. Jade stood up before rolling her neck and stretching her shoulders. "Something happen with Hermione?"

"No!" Jade spun around and shook her head before narrowing her eyes at her smirking trainer. "No, it's just…this ball is supposed to be my birthday party right? Well, I never get to enjoy it. It's always courting or political issues and making sure I behave the way I'm supposed to because it's what is expected of me. I just want to have something that's just for me, you know? Something I'd actually enjoy instead of talking with the other council members and making sure I dance with every eligible son or daughter!" She shouted in frustration before slamming her fist into the ground, causing a cloud of dust to rush into the air as a small crater appeared under her fist. "Rayna keeps dogging me to choose a date, but I've never taken a date to a ball before and I don't want to start now." Jade sighed before collapsing on her back and groaning. "Why couldn't Jaxyn have been born first?" Lucas chuckled before running a hand through his greying brown hair and sitting down next to her.

"I understand where you're coming from, Jade." He said softly before leaning back on his hands and staring up into the grey sky that was threatening snow unto the morning. "You did get sort of unlucky being born so close to the Winter Ball, but at least you'll get a lot of mingling out of the way."

"You mean schmoozing." The blue eyed girl rolled her eyes as she sat up and pulled her knees up to her chest. "Courting must be getting to me I suppose, Rayna just won't take no for an answer."

"She is quite bull-headed isn't she?" Lucas glanced his hazel eyes down at the girl next to him and sighed. "Why don't you ask Hermione to go with you?" He saw her flinch slightly and she lowered her face to the ground to hide her blush. "That would keep Miss Ley from bothering you, wouldn't it?"

"I think you and mother assume too much." Jade sighed before standing up and brushing off her pants. "We're done for the day, right?" Lucas nodded as he bowed his head and Jade turned towards the palace. He shook his head and laughed before standing up and dusting himself off.

"Sometimes I think she's just as stubborn as Rayna." He whispered before walking to the front of the palace to head home. The blue eyed girl was walking slowly, dragging her feet as she made her way up the stairs and towards the bathroom.

**_When are those two going to get those ideas out of their heads? _**Jade thought to herself as she folded her hands behind her head and sighed, closing her eyes, having memorized the palace long ago as a child when she and the other council member's kids would play hide and seek. **_I can't…Hermione likes her friend Ron, and I won't ruin that for her. _**As she approached the bathroom door, it opened and smacked her in the face, knocking her back slightly. She heard a gasp as she brought her hand up to her face and groaned.

"Oh my gosh!" Jade's ears perked as she opened her eyes to see Hermione, hair damp and in a black silk robe. The lycan's breath caught in her lungs as her eyes roamed Hermione's body. "Jade I'm so sorry! Let me see!" The brunette stepped forward and gently grabbed Jade's face and pulled her down. "Move your hands."

"Hermione…" Jade mumbled behind her hand, more so trying to hide her blush instead of her bloody nose. "I-I'm fine, really! Just…just a bump!" Hermione didn't seem satisfied as she pulled the lycan's hand away from her face. Blue eyes meant to fall down to the ground, but instead landed on the witch's legs that seemed much longer than normal.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were out here." Hermione continued as she finally got the older girl's hand away and gasped. "You're bleeding! Come on, we should get that cleaned up." The witch grabbed Jade's hand and pulled her into the bathroom before the lycan could argue. Before Jade knew what was happening, she was sitting on the edge of the clawed tub while the brunette was rummaging through the drawers and pulling out a brown cloth. She doused it under the sink for a few moments before bending over and dabbing it against Jade's nose. "I really am sorry." The witch continued gently as she had one hand on the lycan's cheek with the cloth in the other.

"Please, Hermione," The raven haired girl raised her hand to stop the brunette from bringing the cloth to her face again. "It's no trouble, it was an accident." Hermione tensed at the gentle touch and felt sparks dance on her skin as Jade ran her fingers from her wrist to the crook of her elbow. "There's no need to dote on me like you are."

"I just hit you in the face with a door." The brunette giggled as she brushed a few stray hairs from the older girl's face to get a better look at her nose. "At least let me clean you up." Jade sighed before complying and letting the witch continue to clean up her face. "So, are you excited for your birthday?"

"You mean the ball?" Jade snorted as she rolled her eyes and gripped the edge of the tub. "There's really no mention of my birthday except that I'm a year older and that's for all of three seconds. So to answer your question, not really. What about you?" Hermione smiled gently, remembering when she had gone shopping with Gemma, which caused her mind to wander to the white dressed that was accented with silver and royal blue sash, the McHale house colors.

"I'm not usually good with formal occasions," Hermione answered softly as she put the cloth down and moved Jade's face around to make sure her nose was done bleeding. "But for your birthday, I decided to make an exception." The brunette winked before making a bold decision and leaning forward to press her lips against Jade's forehead which was a bit red from the door. "I have to keep you from killing Rayna, after all." Jade blushed furiously as Hermione pulled away slowly and smiled warmly at the lycan. "I got a letter from Ron and Harry today, they're going to Godric's Hollow soon, Harry thinks there's a horcrux there."

"That would make sense, wouldn't it?" The lycan asked gently, still stunned by the show of affection from the brunette. "I mean, that's where Harry was born and essentially everything began there." Hermione nodded as she sat down on the edge of the tub next to Jade.

"That's what I said." Her voice was a whisper as she tucked a few stray curls behind her ear. "I think it's a bad idea, but the book that Dumbledore gave me, has this symbol in it since Dumbledore lived in Godric's Hollow, it's safe to assume the origin of the symbol could be found there." Hermione's face fell slightly as she thought about her friends. The lycan knew that the witch was guilty she wasn't out there with her friends and thinking about it made her anxious.

"You've been helping them quite a bit even from here, haven't you?" Jade wrapped an arm around the brunette's shoulders and pulled her close. "I know you wish you could be out there, but it's safe for all of you I think, if you stayed here and did what you're doing now. I'm sure they appreciate any help you can give them and I know they feel better knowing you're safe." Hermione nodded against Jade's shoulder as she sighed. "I know I feel better having you here." Jade glanced down to see warm brown eyes staring back up at her. Suddenly something in Hermione's eyes glazed over as her hand came up to the back of Jade's neck and pulled her down slowly. The lycan gasped slightly as she realized how close they were becoming, but closed her eyes as she felt Hermione's breath on her lips. The kiss was soft as their lips finally met and Jade was overwhelmed with a warmth that was washing over her entire body as she realized Hermione's lips were a lot fuller and silkier than she could have ever imagined. She brought her hand up to gently cup the witch's cheek as Jade tilted her head and deepened the kiss gently. Hermione sighed softly, feeling the lycan's lips moving slowly against hers and mused to herself that she could kiss Jade all day and be happy. That's when her mind snapped back to reality and she realized what exactly she was doing and with whom. The brunette pulled away as Jade's eyes snapped open and she looked confused at Hermione's actions.

"I'm sorry." The witch whispered as she stood up with her hand over her mouth as if she had done something horrible. "I didn't mean to do that. I don't know what…" Hermione rushed forward and opened the door, running towards her room before Jade could stop her. The lycan was left standing in the bathroom, dumbstruck as she brought her fingers up to her lips and sighed.

"Maybe mother and Lucas are right." She whispered as she ran a hand through her dirty hair and shut the door turning back towards the tub and starting the water. "Maybe it's about time I start seeing what's right in front of me."

x-x

Hermione slammed the door to her room before resting her back against it and sliding down to sit on the floor.

"I can't believe I just did that." The brunette chastised as she covered her face with her hands and shook her head. "Why did I do that?!"

**_Because I like her. _**Her mind argued as she shook her head some more and groaned. As much as Hermione had been trying to deny her feelings for Jade, but was becoming increasingly more difficult to ignore the lycan when she was around and being as charming as she was. Hermione sighed again as she got dressed and thought back on the kiss. Jade's lips were exceptionally warm and inviting, Hermione had guessed that's why she had lost her senses for those few moments, lost in the feeling of the blue eyed girl's lips on her own. After putting on a pair of jeans and a tank top with a purple jumper over it, she dried the rest of her hair. She poked her head out of her door to make sure Jade wasn't out and then briskly walked towards the stairs.

"Hey, Hermione!" Jaxyn greeted as she reached the entrance hall and saw the girl walking very fast with her head down. "Are you ok?" Hermione paused and looked at the dark haired boy who had a light dusting of snow on his shoulders.

"I…I'm fine, thank you." She muttered as she bowed her head slightly and tried to make her way to the library. "I'll…see you later, Jaxyn."

"Hey wait!" He called after her and she paused again. "Why don't you come out and ride with me? The horses like to go out on brisk days, for some reason they have a bit more energy. What do you say?"

"I don't have a heavy cloak." Hermione whispered as she ran a hand through her chestnut curls. Jaxyn just shook his head and waved his hand dismissively.

"You can borrow one of mine," His fingers snapped and he was gone and brown eyes looked around to see where he'd went. Suddenly he reappeared in front of her and she squeaked a little in surprise. "Here! Now come on, I hear from Jade that you favor Beau and he hasn't been out in a few days. I'm sure he could use the exercise." Hermione finally accepted and wrapped his heavy cloak around her shoulders before following him to the back of the house and into the back courtyard. "So what has you looking so down, Hermione?" The witch gasped at his question, snapped out of her thoughts as a cold breeze wrapped around her body.

"Oh, well," Should she tell Jaxyn about the kiss? What would he think? "I'm…I'm just really worried about Ron and Harry is all, I got a letter from them today and they're going somewhere a bit dangerous." Jaxyn quirked an eyebrow at her, not really believing her story, but accepting it until he could get her talking a bit more. They made their way into the stables and Hermione immediately made her way over to Beau who greeted her zealously, nudging her gently with his nose.

"I see," Jaxyn whispered as he walked down the aisle way to a white horse with a dark grey muzzle and legs. "I don't blame you for being worried about them. The burden on all three of you is rather heavy." He entered the horse's stall and hooked him up before walking into the tack room and grabbing a saddle and bridle. "But they're very talented wizards I hear, or, at least Harry is." He poked his head out and saw Hermione tacking up her horse, making sure to put leg covers on to protect them in case it snowed more. A few minutes later and both teens were leading their horses out of the stable. Jaxyn held onto Beau as Hermione hoisted herself up and into the saddle.

"What's your horse's name?" Hermione asked as Jaxyn got up on his mount and they started walking towards the back garden. Jaxyn smiled as he leaned forward and gently patted his horse on the neck.

"This is Manen." He smiled and looked over at the brunette who was smiling back. "He's been my horse since I was able to ride. I raised him myself, just like Jade raised Valnad. With them living in the forest, there's some magical property that keeps them younger and healthier than most horses. My mother told us that Auberon, my father's stallion, has pegasus blood in his lineage and that's what keeps his offspring so healthy."

"I didn't even know pegasuses could cross breed with muggle horses." The brunette said gently as she scratched Beau's neck affectionately. "But they do seem to be rather taken with their riders." Jaxyn nodded as they began to trot a little down the path towards the woods.

"So," The blue eyed boy said finally after a moment of silence. "Are you going to tell me what was really bothering you earlier? I know you are worried about your friends, but I can sense that wasn't what was wrong." Hermione looked over at Jaxyn who had a gentle smile on his face and she sighed before slowing Beau to a walk again.

"Jade…" Hermione started quietly as Jaxyn moved Manen closer to Beau so he could hear. "I…well, I kissed her today." She waited for the boy to get angry or gasp or something that showed his surprise.

"Well it's about time." Hermione whipped her head around to look at the blue eyed lycan as he gave her a lopsided grin and ran a hand through his hair that had flecks of white as the snow started up again. "I was wondering how long it would take before one of you made a move on the other."

"Wh-what are you talking about?" The witch continued as she brought her horse to a stop in her surprised state and Beau shook his head, not used to stopping and letting another horse ahead. Jaxyn pulled back gently on the reins and turned his mount to face Hermione. "Jade and I aren't…"

"You both are so easy to read." Dark hair swished as he nudged Manen who walked forward until Jaxyn and Hermione were next to one another. "I'm honestly surprised it took you both this long. So, are you going to kiss her again?"

"Uh?" The girl tensed and sighed softly before shaking her head. "I don't know…she's got so many people that are trying to court her…"

"And you know she doesn't want to be with any of them." Jaxyn added quickly.

"But still," Brown eyes narrowed slightly before she felt Beau tug and allowed him to start walking again as Jaxyn turned his horse to keep up with her. "I'm not anything, I don't have any lycan blood or noble anything. I'm just…me."

"Maybe that's why my sister likes you so much." The boy said gently as he caught up and looked down at the witch. "Maybe, that's why Jade finds herself drawn to you. Rayna is obviously in it just for the title and Mena…well, she doesn't know what she wants. But Jade can be herself around you and I guarantee that you've seen a side of her that my parents and I hardly see. So maybe that's all she needs, just you." He gave her a very warm, comforting smile as Hermione looked at him with wide brown eyes.

x-x

Jade sat in her room and stared at her attire for the fast approaching party. Her formal, royal blue jacket and black dress pants adorned the mannequin in her closet as she rubbed the back of her neck, not being able to clear her mind of the kiss or Hermione. The scene played over and over in her head whenever she closed her eyes and she cursed herself for not stopping the brunette before she ran out of the bathroom. There was no arguing with herself now, it was very clear in the lycan's mind as she remembered the sensation of kissing Hermione.

"I'm in love with her." She sighed as she held her head in her hands and massaged her scalp. Now the real question was, should she tell her or not? Hermione had told Jade once that she liked her friend Ron, but s_he _had kissed _her. _So what did that mean? Jade shook her head and groaned before falling back onto her bed. "Is it right of me to tell her how I feel if she doesn't feel the same?"

"Miss McHale?" Finn was knocking on her door and she rose, her plush white robe bathrobe wrapped around her. She opened the door to see the blonde smiling exuberantly at her. "Happy birthday!" A smile spread on her lips as Finn threw confetti into the air and laughed. "Are you excited? I mean, this ball is for you!" Jade sighed, she didn't want to bring the boy down so she just nodded and smiled.

"I am," Jade answered as she walked back into her room and Finn stayed in the doorway politely. "I assume you're here to tell me to hurry, right?"

"Well," The boy rubbed the back of his neck nervously and gave her a goofy grin. "It does start in a little over an hour, so you know how your father likes everyone to be ready and in the ball room before everyone arrives." Jade nodded and waved her hand dismissively.

"Give me a few moments." Finn nodded as he bowed and shut her door with a soft click. Jade walked over to the dresser and dropped her robe to the ground before putting on her under garments with a white button up shirt. She walked over to the mannequin and took the pants from it, slipping on them on and then putting her white belt through the loops. Her jacket was next and as she clasped the chain to her left shoulder, she sighed heavily. Jade walked into her closet and retrieved her black dress shoes, couching down to tie them when they were on their feet. Her decorative sabre was last, it was a functional weapon, but its sheath was cast in silver and gold. When she was finished getting ready, she pulled her hair back into a low ponytail and sighed. "Let's get this over with." Jade left her room, chancing a glance down the hall to see Hermione's door shut. She shook her head and made her way down the stairs and into the ball room where her parents, Jaxyn, and Finn waited for her.

"Happy birthday, Jade!" Jaxyn shouted as he jumped forward and wrapped his arm around his sister's shoulder. He was dressed his formal attire as well, except his jacket was silver with blue accents. "How does it feel to be twenty-one?"

"The same as twenty." Jade answered as she pushed her brother off and walked towards her parents who each hugged her tightly. "When will people be arriving?"

"Soon." Thrash said calmly as she took a step back and smiled at his eldest daughter. "I hear Dante will be back tonight as well. It's been a while since I've seen him." Jade sighed and rolled her eyes, her father like Dante Delmonte mainly for his political status in the wizarding world. It didn't take long for people to start filing in and Jade was at the door with her parents and brother, greeting as people entered. After hundreds of birthday wishes and the other families had arrived, Jade had yet to see Hermione at all and began to wonder if the witch was coming at all.

"Looking for someone in particular?" Rayna asked from behind Jade as the blue eyed girl looked over her shoulder and shook her head. "That witch of yours perhaps? It's probably better if she didn't come, since she doesn't really belong here."

"Please leave me be." The birthday girl hissed as she turned back to watch the door, hoping that anyone now would come in so she could ignore Rayna more effectively. "If you want to grant me any birthday wishes, why don't you just leave until it's time for us to dance."

"Well, you can dance now, can't you?" The blonde inched closer and wrapped her arm around Jade's, trying to pull her to the dance floor. "Everyone that is anyone, is here, that means you can abandon your door duties." Jade looked over to her mother and father who nodded and she groaned, hoping they would be strict and make sure she'd stay vigilant until everyone was there.

"Go on, dear." Gemma urged with a small smile. "I'm sure we can handle greeting until the last few stragglers get here." Jade had a look of disappointment on her face as Rayna smirked and dragged the lycan to the dance floor.

"Are you sure that was wise, darling?" Thrash asked as he watched his daughter get pulled through the crowd. "Isn't Miss Granger coming?"

"Of course she is," His wife answered with a knowing smile and she wrapped her arms around her husband's arm. "And I'm sure she'll be here soon, which will knock Miss Ley off her high horse I believe." Thrash raised an eyebrow at his wife who just looked up and winked before turning her eyes to her daughter who was dancing gracefully with Rayna who was beaming.

"I see you haven't lost your touch on the dance floor." Rayna mentioned as the crowd moved away to make room for their dancing and soon others began to join them. "Can't you imagine us together? The others would be so envious."

"You know I'm not looking for a mate who is more interested in the power than me." The blue eyed lycan sighed as she twirled the blonde and brought her close again. "Just because you don't think that there are other eligible suitors than you doesn't mean I do." Rayna just scoffed as she squeezed Jade's hand and pressed her body against hers. The music began to change as Jade looked over Rayna's shoulder at the door, hoping that Hermione would make an appearance soon.

"Excusez-moi?" A smile spread on Jade's face as Fleur put a hand on Rayna's shoulder, effectively stopping the other blonde from dancing. "May I cut in?" Rayna had no other choice but to allow the Veela to take her place if she didn't want to be looked at as selfish by the other party goers. So, reluctantly, Rayna nodded and bowed her head as she turned and walked away. "It looked like you could use some rescue."

"You have no idea, Fleur." Jade sighed as she put her hand on her friend's waist and they began to smoothly with the music. "She's very determined to try and win me over and be her mate."

"She seems a bit…" Icy blue eyes glanced down in though as she hummed. "Extreme for you mon ami." Jade just chuckled as they continued to dance. After a few moments of chatting with the Veela, the crowd seemed to stop around them and Fleur looked over the taller lycan's shoulder.

"What are you looking at?" Jade asked as she went to spin around, but the Veela just smirked and kept her still. "Fleur, what are you..?"

"Just trust me," The platinum blonde mused with a wink as she stepped out of Jade's arms and bowed her head. "But I think someone else would like a turn to dance with you." Jade raised her eyebrows in question at the Veela before turning around to follow her friend's gaze.

x-x

Hermione felt a bit surreal at the moment, she had been the last to arrive that she could tell and the ball was already in full swing. Thrash and Gemma had been at the entrance and hugged her as she entered before her brown eyes caught Jade dancing elegantly with Fleur, both smiling brightly at one another. The jealousy returned, but she choked it down as she took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"You should go dance with her." Jaxyn whispered out of nowhere as Hermione jumped slightly and groaned. "Sorry, Hermione, I didn't mean to startle you." There was a playful smirk on the boy's lips as she nudged her towards the dance floor. "Go on, she's been looking for you, y'know." Hermione swallowed and nodded, not trusting her voice to stay steady as she walked towards the birthday girl. The couple stopped dancing in front of her as Fleur caught Hermione's gaze and smiled, Jade went to turn around, but the Veela kept her from moving. She watched as the blonde bowed at the lycan before smiling at Hermione.

"May I have this dance?" Hermione asked quietly as Jade turned, eyes wide as she looked down at the young witch. The brunette blushed when the lycan's mouth opened slightly and blue eyes roamed over her body. The dress Hermione had chosen was very much like an ancient Greek styled dress, draping elegantly over her shoulders and glowing smoothly down her legs. Her hair was smoothed down over her shoulders as she looked down at the ground and tucked a lock of hair behind her ears.

"Hermione." Jade breathed as she finally found her voice and stepped towards the girl. "You look…you look beautiful." If Hermione thought her blush was bad now, it must've gotten five times worse as she felt her face heat up.


	4. Chapter 4

So I realized I was calling this story Runaway when it's titled Day Dream...my bad, the title of chapter one must've stuck in my head. Anyways here's chapter 4! and like always, ignore any mistakes I will get to them later and enjoy the chapter! :D

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Chapter 4: Gravity

Jade smiled as she offered her hand to the brunette who took it timidly as Jade pulled her close and the music started up slowly. Hermione was still blushing as her hand began to tingle as their fingers laced together.

"I'd love to dance with you." The lycan whispered as Hermione's free hand rested on her shoulder and she held back a sigh as Jade's hand warmed her waist. The brunette just nodded as Jade smiled charmingly and twirled her onto the dance floor. It seemed that all the people that were there were muttering about them, but they were ignoring it as Jade's blue eyes were focused solely on Hermione. "You really do look amazing."

"Thank you," Hermione's blush seemed to be permanent as she ducked her head at the lycan's blinding smile. "You look very dashing as well." Jade couldn't stop her happiness from radiating as she spun Hermione and blocked out the rest of the crowd around them. Although, she did notice Rayna watching them closely as they danced and Jade couldn't help her smirk, seeing the jealousy in her green eyes. "Everyone is staring." The brunette whispered as her eyes darted back and forth between the people around them.

"Don't worry about them." The blue eyed girl brought a hand up to gently tilt Hermione's chin up to look into her eyes. "They don't matter right now. I just want to focus on you." A sigh escaped the witch's lips as she got lost in deep blue orbs and felt herself press closer to Jade to take in her eternal heat. The lycan caught of glimpse of Fleur smiling and dancing with Jaxyn. The ball carried on in this manner for what seemed like forever, Jade never wanting her dance with Hermione to end.

"Pardon me," A heavy hand fell on Jade's shoulder as the blue eyed girl turned to see a very tall, fit, dark haired man. "Do you mind if I cut in?" Hermione was looking into the man's hazel eyes as he smile warmly at the brunette and bowed slightly. "If you don't mind, that is."

"O-of course not." Hermione reluctantly took a step away from Jade's arms and immediately missed the contact before smiling at the lycan. "I will see you later." Jade nodded and turned towards the man who put his hand on her waist and began moving smoothly to the music.

"It's been a long time, Dante." Jade was used to leading, but now that Dante was here, she let him take control as she followed. "How have you been?"

"Very well, thank you." He smiled charmingly at her as he spun her and she stepped carefully before he pulled her back to him. "You know how tedious political dealings can be, so I don't really have anything exciting to tell besides that everyone is scared for their lives." His hazel eyes glanced over at Hermione who was speaking with Fleur and Jaxyn, Jade following his gaze. "I hear you took that girl in from the school since it's been over-run by the dark wizards. That's very noble of you and you, Jade." Hermione saw Jade and Dante glance at her while they were dancing before twirling away. "Tell me, do you plan to keep her here?"

"As long as I can." The lycan girl answered as the music changed to a slower pace and the two lycans began a slow waltz. "I'm afraid of what would happen to her if she went back." Dante nodded as he removed his hand from Jade's waist and gently grabbed the girl's chin to tilt her head up. The only child of the Delmonte clan was a good eight inches taller than Jade and she gasped slightly at the touch, his hazel eyes smiling at the blue eyed girl.

"You're a peculiar girl," He said gently as his eyes seemed to bore into Jade's and the girl blinked a few times as he smiled. "You'll make a great leader here you know, with the right mate that is."

"Are you throwing your hat into the competition?" Jade quipped as they started moving slowly again and Dante moved his hand back down to her waist. "You're quite scarce to be courting me now, don't you think?"

"I have a lot of time to make up for in one night," Dante teased back as he winked at her and smiled. "Do you think I have a fair shot?" Jade giggled as she wrapped her arms around her old friend's neck and hugged him tight. Dante was a couple years older than Jade and they had been good friends since they had been young, but there was something that most people didn't know about the man.

"Do you see anyone in here that catches your eyes?" The man smiled as he scanned the crowd and shook his head.

"No one my age or available. I always thought Mena's father was rather handsome." He whispered as Jade smiled brightly when he glanced over at Aiden Cunningham who was chatting with Thrash and Gemma.

"He could have been rather dashing in his younger years." The blue eyed girl mused as watched the elder man and Dante laughed before turning his gaze away when Aiden looked at them.

"Are you kidding?" He grinned as he twirled her around. "He's dashing right now, he's only in his thirties you know." Jade smiled, feeling rather relaxed being with her old friend without the pressure of them becoming mates of talking about being alpha. "So, what about you and that girl? She's cute isn't she?"

"I wouldn't say cute," The lycan looked over her shoulder to see Hermione watching her with a smile. "She's gorgeous. I think…I think she's the one, Dante."

"Well we both know Rayna isn't." He scoffed as Jade rolled her eyes and chuckled. "So why don't you tell her?"

"She has a rather, complicated future." Jade answered with a sigh and rested her head against Dante's chest. "Hermione is one of Harry Potter's best friends, she has a destiny to carry out. Would it be fair of me to confess my feelings if she will, eventually, have to leave? You know what it's like when we are separated from our mates, or so we're told, I wouldn't be able to stay away from her even if she asked me to." Dante sighed as the music slowed and he bowed at his friend.

"Talk to her, Jade." The man smiled as he leaned forward and hugged the lycan girl. "From what your father tells me she's a very bright girl, I'm sure she'd let you know if she wasn't able to handle being betrothed to a lycan." He winked at her as she nodded and mingled into the crowd. Blue eyes looked around the crowd to search for the brunette, not finding her anywhere and finally seeing Fleur. The Veela and her cousins were chatting idly with Jaxyn who looked completely smitten by the three Veela.

"Have you seen Hermione?" The blue eyed girl asked as she neared her blonde friend. "I can't find her in this ridiculous crowd."

"I think she said she was going to get some air on the balcony." Fleur said as she smiled at her blue eyed friend. "You should go find 'er, I believe she was waiting for another dance." Jade nodded as she made her way through the crowd, dodging random 'happy birthdays' and greetings from elders in the village before finally breaking through and running up the stairs where a few of the younger citizens of the town were cavorting. Jade wasn't really paying attention as she made her way up to the balcony and saw Hermione leaning against the stone balustrade.

"Hermione?" The lycan asked gently as she neared and shut the french doors behind her. "Aren't you cold?" The brunette looked over her shoulder and smiled sadly at the blue eyed girl before shaking her head. Jade immediately began undoing her formal coat before walking forward and draping it over the witch's shoulders. "Are you all right?"

"I'm just thinking, is all." Hermione whispered as she turned her gaze back to the night sky and Jade stood next to her. The lycan glanced down at the brunette and noticed the sad look in the girl's eyes. "You and Dante seem very close. It must've been nice to see him again." So that was the problem.

"He's a very dear friend." Jade sighed as she rested her elbows on the stone barrier and followed the brunette's gaze. "I haven't seen him in almost two years, so it was good to see him again before he goes back to the city." Hermione just hummed and nodded, when she had seen Jade smiling so brightly and because of that man, the jealousy was quick to rise in her chest. From what she could see though, Dante was a good man and would make Jade happy.

"Well, I'm glad you didn't settle on Rayna, at least." The brunette mumbled before pulling Jade's coat tighter around her shoulders as a sharp breeze assaulted her body. "Dante seems like a good man, I'm sure he'll be an even better mate." Jade's eyes snapped open before she started to chuckle which soon became an all-out laughing fit. "Wh-what's so funny?" Hermione asked as she watched the lycan double over and hold her stomach.

"D-Dante and I couldn't be mates." Jade gasped in between bouts of laughter and brown eyes looked at her curiously before the lycan regained her composure and wiped her eyes. "Hermione, I'm so friendly with Dante because he is one of the people who knows me the best other than Jaxyn and maybe Fleur, but we could never be mates. As I prefer the company of women, Dante prefers the company of men, do you understand?" Hermione gasped slightly before her mind clicked and a wave of relief washed over her, knowing that Jade wasn't going to be leaving her for someone else. Not that they had something for the lycan to leave, all they had was a clandestine kiss in the bathroom which never should've happened. "I'm pretty positive my mate will be a woman."

"I didn't know," The witch muttered as she turned to the blue eyed girl whose eyes were glowing dimly in the dark. "I mean he…he looks so…so…"

"Straight?" There was a bright smile plastered on Jade's face as she chuckled again and nodded her head. "Yes, we both did a good job at hiding it at first, but as we hit puberty…well, it's safe to say neither of us could keep it locked up for very long. Thankfully our families were both very understanding since no lycan has control whom he or she will fall for, even though they still tried to get us together every now and again." Hermione seemed lighter now, knowing that Dante wasn't going to sweep Jade off her feet like it had seemed in the ball room. But then why did she feel guilty? As if she was stealing her friend's happiness by being happy she hadn't found her mate.

**_I shouldn't be happy about that. _**The shorter girl chastised herself as she looked away from Jade and tucked her straightened hair behind her ears as another breeze blew. **_I want her to find someone to be with, that will make her happy always, but…I…_**

"Hermione?" Hermione snapped out of her thoughts as she looked up at the blue eyed girl next to her. "Can I tell you something rather…well, it's rather personal. Do you mind?"

"Of course not." The brunette smiled as she moved closer to Jade's radiating heat and the lycan put an arm around her shoulders. "You can tell me anything, Jade." A small smile spread on perfectly shaped lips as the raven haired girl sighed and looked up at the starry sky.

"I think I'm in love." The words knocked the wind out of the shorter girl as she swallowed hard, trying to choke down lump in her throat and her body shivered involuntarily. "But, I don't know if I should tell her or not. You see, we…we both have important roles to play and I'm not sure if it would be fair to her. What do you think I should do?" When Hermione finally took in a deep breath and looked up, she was met with Jade's puzzled look. Her heart was aching as she cleared her throat and tried to sound as nonchalant as possible.

"I…I think you should tell her." Her speech was a little broken as she spoke, but she just cleared her throat again to rid her voice of any gravel. "If you really love her that is, she deserves to know, important roles be damned. If it were me, I'd just tell her exactly how you feel and kiss her. Girls like spontaneous actions and I don't think there's anyone around that wouldn't jump at the chance to kiss you."

"Tell her exactly how I feel?" Jade repeated softly as she closed her eyes and sighed. "You think that's the best thing? But what if she doesn't return my feelings?"

"Then she's daft." The brunette just nodded numbly, not daring to say anything else as her chest tightened and her throat began to go dry. Suddenly there was a warm hand gently grasping her chin, forcing her to look up into bright blue eyes that were entrancing her very being. "Jade?" Hermione's voice was barely a whisper as she looked up quizzically at the lycan who gently cupped her face with her free hand. "What…?"

"Hermione," Jade's voice was muffled by the rush of blood to Hermione's head and ears, her heart pounding loudly as she looked into blue eyes. There was a playful smile on the lycan's lips as she stared affectionately at the brunette. "Have you really not figured it out yet?" Hermione just stared into those azure eyes that were paralyzing her mind and body before slowly shaking her head. Jade just chuckled and ran her thumb softly along the shorter girl's jawline. "I love you." The girl's breath froze in her lungs and a shiver ran through body as she let Jade's words sink into her. "I think I've been in love with you ever since we met in the forest, but I wasn't sure. After that kiss though, that's when I knew without a doubt that you were what I've been waiting for all these years." Hermione gasped as Jade turned and stepped closer to the witch before her hand moved from her cheek to the back of her neck. "All this time you've been here I've been doing all I could to keep you happy, to keep you safe, and now all I can think about is being as close to you as humanly possible. I want to make sure there is a smile on that face always and when I'm not with you…I feel, empty almost. When you first told me about your feelings for you friend Ron, I thought I would leave it at that. I would be your friend no matter what, but the more time with you pulled me in farther and farther until I couldn't find my way out." Jade closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "I love you Hermione Granger and I honestly don't think I can keep it from you any longer without hurting one of us. If you…if you don't feel the same, I understand of course, you have no obligation to love me back, but I hope you at least feel something for me that could grow into love."

"Don't be stupid." The brunette's voice was quiet and breathy as she shook her head and a few tears escaped her eyes. Jade tensed at her words, maybe it hadn't been a good idea to tell Hermione how she felt. Here was the woman she loved shedding tears over her confession. Maybe the brunette hadn't been ready to hear it, or maybe she didn't feel the same in the slightest. "How could I not love you?" Blue eyes widened as Hermione threw her arms around Jade's neck and smothered her warm lips with cold ones. Jade's arms instinctively wrapped around the witch's slim waist and pulled her flush against her, making sure there was no space between them. The younger girl finally pulled away slowly and Jade followed her lips as far as she could before they separated. "How could anyone not love you? You're kind and gentle, noble and loyal to a no end. How in the world could I not fall in love with you after all this time together? After you decided to keep me safe even though you'd have to fight alone if anything happened? How could you think I didn't feel something for you?" Hermione buried her face against Jade's neck and silent sobs racked her small body. "All this time I've been trying to keep it from you, telling myself I wasn't good enough because I'm not anything special, but it still happened and there was nothing I could do to stop it."

"You are special, Hermione." Jade hushed as one of her hands smoothed down the brown locks of hair at the base of witch's head. "And you're more than good enough for me. You're intelligent, caring, and I've never met anyone with a bigger heart. You're perfectly right for me and I don't want you to ever think otherwise, is that clear?" Hermione nodded against Jade's chest as the lycan planted a soft kiss on her forehead. The girls stood there for a few silent moments, just enjoying the weight being lifted from their hearts and the warmth of the other's embrace. The winter night easing its icy winds to let the girl's enjoy the privacy and sweeping clouds away so the moonlight was cascading over them as if showing its approval.

"I love you too, by the way, if it wasn't apparent." The girl in the lycan's arms mumbled against fabric as she pulled away just enough so she could look up into Jade's smiling eyes. "What I feel for you, I didn't think it was possible to feel so strongly for someone and so completely. I always thought love at first sight was a muggle myth."

"Well," The blue eyed girl chuckled as she ran her fingers through the brunette's hair which caused a soft hum to ring into the air. "All myths are based around some shred of fact, love at first sight is very real for us lycans and often affects their mates, though there are the occasional fighters who try and put it off as long as possible to prove their independence."

"So…" Hermione took half a step away and looked into Jade's glowing blue eyes that were reflecting the bright moonlight. "We're mates then?"

"Our bonding has just begun," Jade answered as she brushed the back of her fingers against the witch's cheek, it seemed she was unable to keep herself from touching Hermione after fighting the urge for so long. "But yes, we are mates Hermione. You are mine forever and in turn, I am yours." Normally, this confession would've sent the brunette into a state of panic. She'd never thought of, nor wanted to be so smitten with someone at such a young age that she didn't have control over anything, especially since she was a control freak. But, centuries of history couldn't be wrong could it? Lycans and their mates fall for each other almost instantly and that's what had happened despite some detours along the way and being with Jade always put her in a relaxing stupor that she wasn't used to. "Of course, it's not like we need to rush through the bonding process. With you being human, we can go as slow as you like."

"What would happen if your chosen had been a lycan?" The question couldn't be stopped before it escaped Hermione's lips and she almost regretted knowing, but her curiosity got the best of her. "Or a Veela even?"

"We would be wed instantly." Blue eyes smiles as a soft sigh slipped from Jade's lips and looked off into the distance as if searching for something, or the right words to say. "I don't know if Fleur ever told you or if you've done research on Veelas, but they have destined mates as well and theirs are almost as instant as a lycan's. Except that their bonding is a ritual and must be followed within a certain time frame or the Veela could possibly fall ill or even die." Hermione gasped as her grip on Jade's arms got tighter, would that happen to her? Jade looked back down at the brunette and must've felt the fear as she leaned forward and placed a feather soft kiss on the shorter girl's forehead. "But that's not how it is with me, I can wait as long as you need me to, so don't worry." The brunette nodded as she let out a sigh of relief before wrapping her arms around Jade's waist and embracing her tightly. A shudder ran through the girl's body as a particularly frigid wind hit her back and Jade wrapped her arms protectively around her mate. "Let's get inside before you freeze to death." Hermione nodded as the blue eyed woman ushered her inside with a hand on her lower back. The palace was invitingly warm as they walked through the french doors and Hermione returned Jade's coat. They saw the party still going in full swing below them and Jade leaned up against the railing to watch for a moment.

"Do we tell your parents?" Hermione asked quietly as she spotted the McHale elders dancing as Jaxyn was moving gracefully with a brunette girl that the witch recognized as Fleur's cousin, Colette. "I mean…I don't really know how this works." She looked up to see Jade smiling nervously and rubbing the back of her neck.

"Well, you see," The lycan chuckled coyly as she looked down at the shorter girl next to her. "It will be a rather…public announcement."

"You mean we will have to tell the council as well?" Jade sighed and shook her head.

"We will have to tell everyone, Hermione." The brunette suddenly felt nervous as she looked down at the room full of people and swallowed hard. "We don't have to tell them now, but when we do tell my parents they will put together an assembly of all the people in Fristad and we will announce the beginning of our bonding. So really, it's up to you to decide when that will happen." Brown eyes darted from one person to the other down below them as she let out a long sigh and shook her head.

"Could we just tell your parents for now?" Hermione whispered as she looked up with a pleading look in her eyes. "I want them to know, but…I don't think I'm ready to make an announcement to the whole town just yet." Jade smiled and nodded her head before slipping her hand into her mate's and squeezing it gently.

"Let's tell them now."

x-x

Telling Jade's parents about their bonding had been easier than Hermione had thought, since apparently, Gemma was already aware and Thrash, well the alpha seemed to know everything before it happened. So needless to say, they were both happy that Jade had found someone that made her happy.

"Now, you both know you will have to tell the rest of the town?" Gemma said gently as they sat in the library, away from the party and the threat of prying ears. Jade and Hermione was sitting on the sofa, hands entwined as the McHale elders sat across from them. "Perhaps tonight wouldn't be the best time to do so, but it will have to be soon." Hermione nodded, glad that Jade had told her instead of the lycan's parents, since Madame McHale always made things seem so serious.

"I just want a few days to let it sink it before we tell the whole town." Hermione whispered softly as she looked up at the alpha and his wife. "Even though I love Jade, it's still sort of a lot to take in for me."

"Of course, Hermione." Thrash smiled warmly at her before looking proudly over at his daughter. "Not being of lycan or creature blood, we wouldn't want to rush you or the bonding before you're ready." Thrash and Gemma stood then as did Jade and Hermione before the elder lycans stepped forward and each hugged the brunette witch. "Welcome to the family either way." The alpha said as he held her in a fatherly embrace, then let her go so his wife could hug her. "Hopefully our daughter will live up to your standards."

"Dad…" Jade shook her head before covering her face with her hand, a light pink blush dusting her cheeks as Hermione giggled and slipped her hand back into her mate's

"I don't think I have to worry about that." Warm brown eyes looked up at the embarrassed lycan who gave her a goofy, lopsided grin. "She's always been overly respectful since I arrived. I doubt that would change now that we're bonding." Jade glanced down and smiled at the witch before gently squeezing her hand.

"Well, now that the excitement is over," Gemma said as she hooked her arm around her husband's. "Why don't we return to the party? I'm sure certain people will start to notice that Jade has been missing." The two younger girls nodded as Jade's parents walked towards the exit and the blue eyed girl kissed Hermione softly on the forehead before following the elder McHales. To their surprise, Jaxyn was waiting for them by the entrance of the ball room with a smug smile on his face and his arms folded over his chest.

"So did you tell her?" Jaxyn asked as she pushed himself off the wall and looked at Hermione who began to blush as Jade looked down at her. "It sure looks like you told her."

"Tell me what?" Jade asked her brother as she looked into his lighter blue eyes.

"That she likes you!" Her brother practically shouted as Hermione covered her face with her hand and began to blush. A smirk spread on Jade's face as she looked down at her mate.

"You told him before you told me?" The older McHale teased as she nudged the brunette with her shoulder. "How long have you known?"

"Just today." Jaxyn shrugged as he smiled brightly at his sister who quirked an eyebrow and looked at the blushing brunette. "No worries though, by the look on both of your faces, she told you."

"She told me actually." Hermione mumbled behind her hand as she looked at Jaxyn. "I uhm, I thought she liked Dante."

"Dante is gayer than a rainbow flag." The boy joked as Jade shot him a pointed glare and he raised his hands in defense. "Well he is! Either way, I'm glad you both have gotten your feelings out into the open. So when are you going to break it to Rayna?" Jade rolled her eyes and gently pulled the brunette into the ball room, back to the party that seemed to be slowing down.

"When are you going to tell Rayna?" The brunette asked as she felt a few eyes following them as they made their way to the dance floor. "Will telling her stop her from trying to court you?"

"That's a good question." Jade sighed as she turned and put a hand on Hermione's waist and held her other up as they began to dance. "By all the rules, it should stop her, but we both know how she is. I feel like she could possibly be…very persistent." The brunette's eyes scanned the crowd to see the blonde with her a man who Hermione assumed to be her father. "But don't worry, she can't really do anything about it." Jade smiled affectionately as the brunette as her brown eyes returned to blue.

"That's good to know." Hermione began to relax as she felt Jade pull her close and twirl her gently and smoothly to the music. The rest of the night carried on as such, not many people asking to dance with Jade, to Hermione's relief, until she felt a tap on her shoulder. The witch spun to see Rayna standing behind her with narrowed green eyes.

"Do you mind if I cut in, Jade?" Blue eyes widened in surprise as she looked down at Hermione who had a puzzled look on her face and then darted back to Rayna's face, her expression unreadable. The lycan reluctantly agreed before giving Hermione an apologetic look. The brunette frowned as Rayna moved in front of her, taking her hand and waist before leading Hermione to the music. "I see you and Jade have been spending most of the night together." The blonde pulled the younger girl close before dipping her low to the faster paced music. Hermione was rather taken aback by the forcefulness of the blonde lycan as she gasped when Rayna pulled her back up smoothly. "I hope you're not thinking that you two could actually be together, she's far out of your league." Hermione scowled before glaring up at the green eyes that peered down at her. "It'd be a shame if something happened to you because you couldn't stay away from her."

"Is that a threat?" The brunette hissed as Rayna smirked and twirled the witch around before pulling her hard by the waist flush against her body, eliciting a surprised huff to escape Hermione's lungs. Rayna glanced over to see Jade watching them through narrowed blue eyes, hands clenched into fists as a smirk spread on the blonde's lips.

"Of course not," Rayna whispered as she brought her hand up and cupped the younger witch's face. Hermione tensed as the blonde leaned forward and kissed her roughly, biting her bottom lip as the brunette pressed her hands to the lycan's shoulders trying to push her away. Hermione whimpered in protest as the lycan pressed harder into her bruising lips. Suddenly, Rayna's mouth was ripped from her own as Hermione gasped for air and saw Jade holding Miss Ley by her shoulders firmly, eyes glowing menacingly and sharp teeth bared for everyone to see. A low growl was vibrating in the air as the brunette brought her hand up to her lips to see a small amount of blood on her fingertips.

"Leave." Jade snarled quietly as she glared into Rayna's now glowing green eyes. "Now, before my fangs find you." The blonde just pushed Jade's hands off of her nonchalantly as if she were disgusted and flipped her hair over her shoulder. She glanced at Hermione who was glaring at her and the stunt she pulled had several people looking at her in confusion. "Now Rayna!" Jade's harsh tone snapped the blonde out of her staring contest before she smirked and bowed her head slightly.

"As you wish, Jade." Her eyes were gleaming dangerously as she turned and walked towards Hermione, pausing right next to her. "This isn't finished, witch." She hissed before holding her head high and walking out of the ball room as whispers started to fill the room. Jade gently took Hermione's hand and led her out of the crowd as the music started a faster pace to draw everyone's attention away from the ordeal. When they were finally out of room, Jade pulled the girl towards the stairs and up to the second floor towards the bathroom. Once they were in there, the lycan grabbed a cloth and dampened it before softly dabbing her mate's lip.

"Are you all right?" The blue eyed lycan whispered as Hermione nodded her head and pouted her bottom lip so Jade had access to the raw flesh. "I can't believe she did that."

"I can." Hermione mumbled as Jade let her take the cloth to hold against her lip. "She's really adamant about being with you, y'know. I don't know how she's going to handle when you tell her we've bonded."

"She'll back off." Jade growled as she ran a hand through her bangs and sighed heavily before brushing her fingertips along Hermione's jawline softly. "She won't have a choice, once someone is bonded, they're off limits to every other suitor. I won't let her near you again." Hermione just sighed as she pulled the cloth away and touched her slightly swollen lip, relieved when she didn't see blood on her fingers. Jade leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss on the brunette's forehead before moving down to her nose, and finally her lips, making sure to be extremely gentle to not cause her mate any pain. Hermione sighed as her eyes fluttered shut and her hand found its way to the back of Jade's neck, pulling the lycan closer, silently willing her to deepen the kiss. The lycan was happy to comply, deepening the kiss by slightly parting her lips and tilting her head to get more of Hermione. She ran her tongue softly over the wound on her mate's lip, provoking a whimper from the witch's throat as Hermione's lips parted and her tongue met Jade's zealously. A strong arm wrapped around the witch's waist and pulled her against Jade's body before Hermione snaked both or her hands through ink black hair to keep Jade from moving away. They finally pulled away to gasp for breath as Hermione's vision blurred slightly from pleasure before she leaned forward and rested her forehead against the blue eyed girl's chest to try and catch her breath. "I won't let her hurt you." Jade whispered in a husky voice as an arm held the brunette close in a protective embrace. "I promise."


	5. Chapter 5

AN: So, **onyxkunai** brought up very interesting questions in her review and I thought I should address them, so here is some fun filler and yes, as much as I love Fleur Delacour, her and Jade fit best as friends in my opinion although I have considered writing a Jade/Fleur story since my girlfriend is all up on team Fleur. Also, Dante will make another appearance somewhere in the story since I decided to make him the gay bestfriend :) And for **croaker **that sounds like a very interesting concept that I will definitely consider to add to Something Jumbled since I feel it needs a back story. Hope you all enjoy chapter five and if I don't update on this it's because I'm working on my other stories. Thanks for the views/reviews/favorites/and follows!

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Chapter 5: Spectrum

Harry was sitting in a tent somewhere in a forest north of York where Ron had apparated them after leaving Godric's Hollow. As Hermione had predicted in her letter, it had been a trap. Voldemort's snake, Nagini, had killed Bathilda Bagshot and taken her form to trick the boy, luring him into her home. If Ron hadn't been there to help, he was sure that he would've died. He flipped some pages with his thumb of the book that Rita Skeeter had written and sighed. They still hadn't found the anything that could destroy the horcrux locket they had stolen from Umbridge and it was starting to eat away at his nerves. Ron was out fortifying the protective charms around their small camp. The last time he had talked to Hermione, she had told him what a horrible idea going to Godric's Hollow, but she agreed that going to visit would probably uncover something.

"I should send Hermione this book." The boy sighed as she shut the book and ran a hand through his unruly and rather long hair. Without Hermione, the mission hadn't been going as smoothly as he had wanted. He and Ron had fought a few times under the influence of the locket and the red head had left in a rage, only to return a few hours later. Harry had to admit, he was missing his best friend and wished that she was there to shed light on the more intellectual aspects of their mission.

"What book?" Ron asked as he entered the tent, snow dusting his red hair and his cheeks rosy from the cold. Harry held up the thick paper back in his hand and smiled.

"This one." He flipped the pages again as if trying to gain its knowledge by scanning through them. "I think she'd enjoying learning everything there is to know about Dumbledore, don't you?" Ron nodded as he sat on his cot and groaned.

"I miss her." The red head looked up at the lamp floating in the air above them and rubbed his forehead. "It seems like forever since I've seen her."

"Well at least you know she's safe, mate." Harry said as he flopped the book down on Ron's chest and the boy huffed.

"I dunno if I'd say 'safe' since she's in a colony of lycans." Ron groaned before folding his hands behind his head. "Which are what again? Werewolves or something of the sort?" Harry just nodded when there was a sudden bright white light shining out in the darkness. The green eyed boy stood, narrowing his eyes and adjusting his glasses before walking over to move the flap of the tent. "What's up, Harry?"

"I'm not sure." The boy who lived whispered as he moved the opening and saw a glowing doe. Ron rose from his cot and followed his friend who disappeared from the tent.

x-x

Hermione awoke with a jolt as she found her room dark except for the light the moon was providing through her window. She had had a nightmare about Harry and Ron, but now that she was awake, the actually vision had slipped her mind. The girl sat up with a groan and noticed that she was still in her dress, she must've fallen asleep after the everyone had left. There was a hushed groan to her left as her mattress shifted. Her brown eyes looked down and she gasped softly to see Jade laying on her back, her formal coat half way off. The lycan was sleeping soundly as she turned her head to the right and sighed. Hermione tried to think back, not remembering the party ending or even coming up to her room.

**_That's right,_** She whispered to herself as she brought her hand up to her lips as a small smile grew on her face. After Rayna had forced herself upon the witch, she and Jade had adjourned to the bathroom to tend to her bleeding wound. After a passionate session of making sure said lip was in working order, they had gone back down to the party for a few more hours until everyone started to go home in the middle of the night. Hermione barely remembered nodding off as the last of the stragglers left and Jade had scooped her up and carried her to her room. Everything came back then, Jade had gently set her down on the bed as her exhaustion took over and before the lycan could leave, Hermione had grabbed her by the wrist. **_I asked her not to go. _**She looked back down at the slumbering lycan and smiled before moving off the bed as carefully as possible so not to wake her companion. Hermione grabbed some night clothes before moving to the darkest part of the room and slipping her dress off, replacing it with a tank top and boxers. The witch then moved back towards her bed, noticing Jade's awkward clothing situation, she gently pulled on the sleeve of her coat to slip it off her left arm. The blue eyed girl stirred slightly before Hermione removed the garment and set it on the bench at the foot of her bed. She then proceeded to untie Jade's shoes and set them neatly on the ground. As she crawled back onto the bed, she got entranced by the serene look on her mate's face and found herself staring at Jade's smooth features and soft skin. It truly was hard not to fall in love with her.

"Mmph…Hermione?" Jade opened one crystalline blue eye and yawned as the brunette smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear before leaning down, pecking the lycan on the forehead as Jade supported herself on her elbows. "Are you ok?" Hermione moved back around the bed to the spot she laid previously and nodded. Jade rolled over on her right side to watch the young witch as crawled on all fours towards the raven haired girl, both eyes open now. Hermione gently put her hands on Jade's shoulders to push her back down slowly.

"I'm fine." The brunette answered in a hushed breath before leaning down and taking Jade's lips with her own. Her mate didn't hesitate to kiss back as Hermione's fingers gently brushed against satin soft skin. "Just needed to change, that's all." Jade nodded silently before leaning up and kissing Hermione again before the witch settled herself in the lycan's arm, head resting comfortably on the older girl's chest. The girl began to drift off to sleep again as she felt deft fingers running up and down the bare skin of her upper arm all the way down to her fingers and back again, lulling Hermione into a calm she'd never experienced before. The steady pounding of Jade's heartbeat echoing in her ears, pushing any stray thoughts of her nightmare out of her mind.

"Should I go to my own room?" The lycan muttered softly as her hand tangled in soft chestnut locks as Hermione's arm draped lazily over her waist.

"Don't you dare," Hermione yawned as she nuzzled her face further into and up into Jade's neck. "I don't know if I'd get back to sleep if you left." The older girl chuckled softly before hugging Hermione closer and kissing her on the forehead.

"I love you." A smile spread on the witch's lips as she heard Jade's whisper in her ears. Hermione turned her face and into her mate's neck and kissed it softly.

"I love you too."

x-x

The next morning seemed to come too soon as Jade's eyes fluttered open when the sun flooded through Hermione's window. She put her left hand up to block the affronting rays and looked down to see her mate sleeping soundly on her right shoulder. The memories of the previous night came rushing back as a smile spread on the lycan's face before she turned her head and buried her nose into Hermione's soft hair, breathing the girl's scent in deeply as she stirred.

"Were you just sniffing me?" Hermione asked groggily as she rubbed her eyes and Jade just smirked, keeping her nose against the witch's head.

"I'm still sniffing you." Jade responded lightly as the brunette giggled and rolled onto her back, stretching her arms above her head and squeaking. "Good morning." Brown eyes locked with blue as a bright smile spread on the younger witch's face before Hermione pounced on the lycan and pressed her forehead against her mate's. "Someone is happy this morning."

"How could I not be?" The brunette questioned as she felt Jade's arms slowly wrap around her waist and hold her close. "I could get used to waking up to you every morning."

"Good," A smirk grew on Jade's lips as she leaned up and kissed Hermione on the nose affectionately. "Because that's the plan." Suddenly, there was a scratching on Hermione's window and the brunette's head whipped around and saw a golden brown eagle pecking at the glass. "Seems like Carron has something for you." Hermione rose and opened the sliding glass door leading out to her balcony and saw that the bird was caring a rectangular package wrapped in brown paper.

"What do you have for me today?" The witch asked softly as she ran a finger over the eagle's head and it whistled at her affectionately as the girl untied the parcel from its body. The bird began preening as Hermione tore the paper and off and saw that it was the book that Rita Skeeter had written on Dumbledore. "This is from Harry?" The eagle flapped its wings in response and Hermione smiled before patting the bird on the head. There was a small piece of parchment folded and shoved in the cover.

_Dear Hermione,_

_I'm glad to hear that you're doing well and that this Jade person is keeping you safe, although, Ron is rather miffed that you're 'running with pack of wolves'. His words not mine, but anyways, we found the Sword of Gryffindor! It was in this forest after we escaped from Godric's Hollow and while I'm on the subject, you were right, it was a trap. I will tell you about that more in the next letter. Anyway, I'm sending you this book so you can read it and maybe we can learn more about Dumbledore and get more clues on the horcruxes. That symbol you drew on your last letter that was in Beedle the Bard, I found in the book as well when I was skimming through chapters. Hopefully if you can read it thoroughly you can find out what it is. I hope you're doing well and Ron and I both miss you terribly. It's not the same not having our bookworm keeping us on the right track, but I'm very happy you're safe. Write back soon._

_ Love, Harry_

_ P.S. Nice eagle, it must have a concealment charm because I didn't even see or hear it until it practically landed on Ron's face._

Hermione giggled at the last part before glancing at Carron and scratching gently under on his neck.

"I'll find you when I respond." The bird chirped and tested his wings before lifting off into the air, soaring off towards the aviary. Jade walked out onto the balcony and draped a blanket over her mate's shoulders to shelter her from the winter breeze. "Harry sent me a book that follows intimate details of Dumbledore's life. He thinks that there might be some clues in here about the horcruxes or at least shed some light on the symbol I found."

"That would be helpful wouldn't it?" The lycan asked gently as she wrapped her arms around Hermione's waist, pressing her chest against her back. Hermione nodded as she opened the book and saw a picture of her late Headmaster staring back at her. A horrible wave of nostalgia engulfed the witch as she suddenly thought of all her friends back at Hogwarts. "Are you all right, love?" Hermione couldn't stop the smile even if she had wanted to after hearing Jade's term of endearment as she leaned her head back against the taller girl's shoulder.

"Can I ask you something?" Hermione whispered as she shoved the letter back in between some random pages of the book and held it closed in her hands.

"Anything." Jade pressed her cheek against Hermione's and brown eyes fluttered shut feeling the warmth seeping into her skin from the lycan.

"I need to know my friends are ok." The brunette continued as she leaned into Jade's touch and sighed. She was nervous asking her mate to allow her to do something she knew she wouldn't agree to. "I…I have to go back." Jade's whole body tensed as Hermione's voice faded and her eyes snapped open. She wanted to turn the girl's request down immediately, but she was more rational than that. Hermione had been away from people she cared about for months now with very little contact since owls were being monitored and her friends didn't want to get in anymore trouble. "Please understand, I already know Harry and Ron are all right, but Ginny…and my other friends. I haven't heard from them in a very long time." Blue eyes narrowed as Jade tightened her hold on her mate and sighed heavily.

"I do understand, Hermione." The lycan breathed as she loosened her grip and Hermione was afraid she had angered the older girl. "Truly, I do, but you need to understand, especially now that we've started bonding. If you leave it won't just affect me mentally, I won't just worry about you and think about you. I'll physically feel your absence and I've never experienced anything like this before, but I already know I can't just let you leave." Jade sighed heavily before releasing the girl and running her hands through her hair. There were a few moments of silence as Hermione clutched the book to her chest and felt a sudden, harsh wave of confusion and despair filling every nerve and muscle in her body. She didn't want Jade to be sad or upset with her, but if there was one thing Hermione Granger was, it was loyal. "I'll come with you." Hermione spun around and gaped at Jade who was looking down at the ground. "I'll help you."

"I can't ask you to do that." The brunette shook her head and grabbed Jade's hand to try and show her how serious she was. "You can't, Jade, I won't put you in danger."

"That's my job, Hermione." Jade looked up and smiled gently at her mate who looked utterly distraught. "I swore to protect you no matter what, and if you're going back to Hogwarts, you sure as hell aren't going without me. You're mine now and I am forever yours, I'm going with you whether you want me to or not."

"Jade," Hermione breathed as she shook her head and held the book tighter to her chest as if it was protecting her. "I don't know what I'll do if anything happens to you."

"Then you should be relieved to know," Blue eyes lit up playfully as she winked at the brunette who melted when Jade pulled her into a calming embrace. "That I'm a highly trained soldier and supernatural being that's essentially immortal. Makes things a little better, don't you think?" Hermione sighed before Jade's arms wrapped tightly around her shoulders and the brunette buried her face into her mate's chest. "I love you, you need to understand that you're my world now and if there's a chance you could be in danger, I'm going to be there to make sure you're safe. No arguments, ok?" The brunette just nodded against her lycan's chest and sighed. A few moments later after Hermione had replied to Harry and left the letter folded on the desk in her room, she went off to take a shower as Jade went down to speak to her parents. The lycan had to admit, she was a bit nervous about telling her mother about the plan, but she knew her father would understand. After all, it was his compromise for Jade to keep Hermione safe exclusively. So she was just following orders now.

"Father?" Jade knocked gently on her father's door to his study before he heard him respond and the lycan took a deep breath before opening the door.

"Good morning, Jade." Thrash greeted with a gentle smile as she looked up from a few documents on his desk. "You're up a bit late." A knowing smile spread on the man's lips as Jade's cheeks burned and spread to her ears. "Did you stay up late last night?"

"Daaaad," The girl groaned as she shook her head and scowled at the man who was chuckling now. For some reason whenever her father teased her, Jade reverted into an embarrassed teenager. "No, I mean…well, sort of, but not in the way you're implying. Anyways, I came here to tell you that Hermione wants to go back to Hogwarts to see how her friends are faring." Thrash seemed to snap to attention as his eyes narrowed and he ran a hand through his hair. "Surely you know already that I'm going with her."

"I would assume so much," The alpha sighed as she stood and rubbed the back of his neck. "You should take Jaxyn with you."

"No," Jade shook her head and mimicked her father by running a hand through her ink black hair. "I'm not going to endanger anyone else, I promised to keep her safe, just me and that's what I plan to do. Trust me that if anything happens that would be too dangerous, I will get her out of there, whether she's found her friends or not."

"You know this could potentially lead them to us?" Her father stated as he narrowed his eyes again sternly to reiterate the seriousness of the situation to his daughter. "What will you do then?"

"I won't endanger the pack," Jade reassured as she folded her arms behind her back and conveyed to her father that she knew what she was getting herself into. "You need to trust me, father, you know I'm level headed and I wouldn't do anything rash."

"But you have bonded with that girl now." Thrash's voice was beginning to rise as he began pacing back and forth. "There's no rationality when you have a mate, Jade! Everything, all of your senses and levelheadedness won't make a difference if your mate is in danger and this will put Hermione in danger! You will do what is necessary to keep her safe and you will lose yourself!" Jade narrowed her blue eyes and looked down at the ground.

"I can keep control." She growled, getting tired of her father's lack of faith in her ability to stay focused. "I won't lead them back here, I swear it."

"Do you swear on Hermione's life?" Jade inhaled sharply as she glared at her father who was now leaning against his desk. The girl looked away, conflicted on if she could ever swear anything on her mate's life. Thrash sighed as he sat down in his chair and ran a hand through his hair. "I won't stop you Jade, but I don't think you should tell your mother about this, you know how she worries. Just please, you need to keep your head on your shoulders. If they follow you, you can't come back." Jade nodded as she let out a breath and closed her eyes.

"I understand." She whispered as she turned to leave, pausing to look over her shoulder and watching her father closely. "Have faith in me father, I am your daughter after all." A small smile spread on her father's lips as he nodded and shooed her out of his office.

"Good luck, Jade." Thrash whispered as his daughter whisked out of his office.

Hermione was sitting on the last step of the stair case, waiting for Jade to talk to her parents about them leaving. It was already noon and they had a long way to go to reach the school.. She heard footsteps approaching behind her and turned to see Jade coming closer in her leather armor, crossbow strapped to her back and sword sheathed at her hip. Hermione hadn't really registered how gallant Jade looked the first time she had seen her in her scouting armor, but now she had the time appreciate the sight before her. The leather was worn perfectly to fit Jade's curves and the dark brown color made her blue eyes pop. Hermione on the other hand, was wearing a pair of jeans and her red jumper, her heavy jean jacket finishing the outfit along with Jaxyn's cloak he had loaned her.

"Are you ready, Hermione?" Jade asked as she adjusted her belt and looked down kindly at her mate. The brunette sighed as she stood up and ran her hands through her hair before turning toward her lycan and giving her a small smile. "Don't worry," The lycan slipped her hand into hers and laced their fingers together. "I'll be with you no matter what." The brunette appreciated the raven haired girl's support as they walked out the back and towards the stables where the door man had Beau and Valnad waiting for them.

"I almost feel guilty," Hermione muttered as they pressed her hand against her horse's muzzle and sighed. "For putting them in danger as well." Jade put her hand over Hermione's and looked down at her lovingly.

"They're smart creatures," Blue eyes shadowed slightly as she narrowed her eyes and pressed her head against Beau's forehead. "I told him to leave if he needed to, if it became too dangerous, but he refuses."

"You can talk to them?" The brunette had always had her suspicions about the lycans' bond to their horses ever since she first met her mate, but she never thought they could actually understand one another. Jade just smiled and nodded before leaning forward and capturing Hermione's lips with her own in a lingering kiss.

"Being a lycan is more than just shifting into a powerful creature." A smile spread on her face as she patted Beau's neck. "We can commune with animals and in this case, the forest as well since it has magical properties." If they hadn't been ready to leave to try and infiltrate Hogwarts, Hermione would've been asking several questions that were running through her mind, but they were and the brunette was a bit more than just nervous, so she just smiled and hoisted herself up onto her steed as Jade handed her the reins. "Before we leave, Hermione," The lycan continued as she stepped up into Valnad's saddle. "You have to promise me something."

"What is it?" Hermione asked as she moved her horse so she was next to her mate. She was almost afraid to ask, she knew Jade would go to extreme measures to keep her safe and the last thing she wanted was one of those 'if we hit trouble, you get out' sort of speeches.

"You need to promise," Jade pulled up her hood over her head and her blue eyes were firm when she looked over at the witch. "That we're going to get out of there together no matter what, ok? I'm not going to leave you there, even if the Dark Lord himself comes down on our heads." The weight of the situation was suddenly very heavy on Hermione's shoulders as she realized what exactly they could be getting themselves into, but she swallowed her doubts and nodded, watching Jade's eyes soften. A smile spread on her lips as she leaned over and planted a soft kiss on Hermione's forehead. "Then let's go."

x-x

Ginny was walking through the corridors from her morning classes, the Slytherin Head Boy and Girl, which there were now eight since Snape seemed to think that they needed the extra surveillance, watching everyone closely. The red head sighed, it had been almost a month since she had stopped writing Hermione, even with enchanted parchment and sending her letters before the sun came up, Snape had cracked down on the post. It seemed the fake Headmaster was becoming more and more paranoid as time went on, especially after the news that Hermione had been lost by the Carrows in the forest.

"Hey, Ginny," Neville greeted solemnly as he met her in the Great Hall. The atmosphere of the school lately was…depressing, at best. Even the Slytherins it seemed were it bit more brooding than normal, Ginny seemed to think it was because the Carrows didn't have a preference for your house and the Slytherins must've thought they'd get preferential treatment since Snape was Headmaster. "How were your classes this morning?"

"Well, besides learning close to nothing," The red head shrugged as they sat down at their table, running her hands through her hair and sighing heavily. "I didn't get into any 'trouble', but really there's not much you can disagree with in potions. What about you?" The older boy sighed as he rolled up his sleeves and Ginny gasped when she saw the raw, red words written sliced into his forearms that read 'I will obey my superiors'. "Gods, Neville!"

"Seems that the Carrows were trained by Umbridge." He sighed rolling his sleeves back down wincing slightly. "Although, I'll admit, it wasn't as bad as when she had us do it. At least they were spread all over instead of just on the same spot over and over again. They should heal up soon." Caramel colored eyes glanced up at the head of the hall to see the brother and sister standing with their hands behind their backs, sinister smirks on their faces as they scanned the students. "You think Hermione is doin' all right?"

"Last I heard she was." The youngest Weasley sighed as she began to poke around at her food and glance back and forth between the tables. "I told her I'd stop writing, but I wish I knew for sure. The place where she's at sure sounds a lot better than here. I guess her running away with the centaur was the best thing for her." There was a cry of pain from the Hufflepuff table and both Ginny and Neville whipped around to see a young boy on the ground seizing, an older Slytherin standing over him. Ginny couldn't stand it anymore, she stood up and whipped out her wand.

"Ginny, no!" Neville hissed as he tried to grab her robes before she turned around and cursed the Slytherin boy. Katie Bell and Seamus stood to hold the boy back before Neville could join his friend. The red head was seething as she kept her wand trained on the older student, putting herself between the Hufflepuff who was still on the ground groaning as his friends were tending to him.

"You all think this is ok?!" She yelled as she looked around the hall to only see her fellow Gryffindors up and prepared to assist. "Don't you feel any kind of guilt just standing there doing nothing?!" The hall stayed silent until the Carrow's footsteps echoed off the walls, their wands out and pointed at Ginny. She turned and cursed the brother, sending him crashing into the wall as Alecto scowled, whipping curse after curse at the Weasley, pushing her back against the wall.

"You Gryffindors and your courage." Alecto hissed as Ginny parried a cutting curse and cast a binding jinx towards the blonde woman, who dodged and smirked. "I think a few days in the dungeons will help your attitude." A red light shot from the witch's wand and Ginny blocked, but didn't see the succession of three other spells cast in her direction.

x-x

The ride to Hogwarts was rather pleasant, to Hermione's extreme surprise. She expected it to be awkward and silent, since Jade was essentially and very willingly, escorting the girl into life-threatening danger. Jade however, seemed to keep their spirits up by explaining the lighter part of the forest to the brunette, which kept her mind off of the events that could happen when they reached the school. Hermione was often stealing glances at her mate as they rode through the quiet maze of trees, gentle blue eyes reflecting sunlight and warmth as she spoke.

"Hermione?" The brunette snapped out of her reverie and noticed Jade was looking at her with a confused, almost concerned look on her face. "Are you all right?" A blush erupted on the witch's cheeks as she turned her gaze forward and nodded, realizing she had been staring at the blue eyed girl for a while longer than she intended.

"Y-yes, of course." Hermione gave Jade a smile to try and hide her embarrassment, which of course, didn't help since the raven haired lycan already had an eyebrow raised and a smirk on her lips. "Just, uhm…thinking, wondering if everyone is ok." Jade nodded with a chuckle until she froze, her eyes growing wide as her head turned to look ahead of them. The transition from light to dark seemed almost palpable as they neared the forest that surround Hogwarts. There was something, different, Hermione noticed as a shiver ran through her body and she noticed Jade's eyes narrowing, scanning the area ahead. "Jade? What is it?" Suddenly, both horses stopped and began to paw the ground, snorting in anticipation. Hermione leaned forward and began to stroke Beau's neck to calm him and that's when she saw it. A centaur, a young centaur, sprawled out on the ground. Jade was quick to jump off her horse and walk over to the creature who was lying motionless on the ground. The blonde beast was bound around his legs and neck as Jade approached cautiously. She knelt down and put a gentle hand on the beasts neck and growled.

"He's dead." The brunette gasped before bringing her hand up to her mouth and slamming her eyes shut. Jade removed the dagger from its sheath attached to her belt on her lower back and cut the ropes free from the fallen centaur's legs before noticing how deep the binds cut into his flesh. Blue eyes narrowed as the rope disintegrated in her hands and a low growl vibrated in her throat. "Walk on, Hermione. I'm going to…take care of him." Hermione could only squeak in response as she nudged Beau forward. Valnad seemed to follow, hearing the firm tone in his master's voice. Hermione stopped a few feet away, keeping her back the fallen creature as she suddenly felt colder than normal as she pulled her cloak tight around her shoulders. Her heart ached for the centaur, they were never violent towards anyone unless the trespassers were deserving and that one had been just a foal. Brown eyes glanced over at Jade who was kneeling down by the body with her hood down, Hermione watched as Jade took her hair in her hands tightly. The lycan pulled her long, waist length hair over her shoulder and twisted the last four inches in her hand.

"I offer a part of myself to ease your pain." Jade muttered as she drew the dagger swiftly just above her fist, cutting the handful of hair before tying it into a knot. She then placed it gently on the centaur's neck and stood up. "May the druids accept my offering and give you peace." Before Jade turned, a cold breeze blew and the whispers of the forest echoed in her ears. The cries of pain for the loss of its inhabitant wailing on the wind. Jade felt a surge of anger through her body as she squeezed her eyes shut and tensed her body, the rage of the forest becoming louder. Her eyes snapped open when the lycan felt a gentle touch on her arm and looked down to see Hermione looking sadly down at the centaur. She had a blue forget-me-not in her hand that she laid down by the foal's body.

"Forget-me-nots are appropriate I think." She whispered as she wrapped her arms around Jade's arm and sighed softly. "Remember me forever, just as their name implies." Jade didn't miss the despair in her mate's voice as she spoke and the raven haired girl nodded before taking a deep breath. "I just hope…he didn't suffer too badly."

"I gave my hair as an offering to the forest," Jade muttered as she closed her eyes again and then looked up at the grey sky. "Hopefully it will be enough to make sure he finds peace since he died in such a violent manner." Hermione just nodded as Jade let out a slow breath and grabbed the girl's hand. "Let's get going, Hermione." The brunette nodded as they walked back to the horses, who were waiting patiently for them. The rest of the ride was silent, Hermione could tell that Jade was upset. The lycan's gaze hadn't softened since they'd left the poor creature in the forest. She was about to say something, until it began to snow and Jade stopped. "We're here." Brown eyes looked around to see the Whomping Willow up a steep hill and a shock of apprehension ran through her body. Now that Hogwarts was in sight, she was nervous, but it was too late to turn back now. "How do you think we should approach this?"

"Fred Weasley said there was a secret passage under the willow to a statue on the fifth floor." Hermione tapped her chin in thought. "Hopefully it hasn't been destroyed, that will only leave us two floors to get to Gryffindor Tower." Jade nodded as she made sure the reins of their horses were secured to their saddles so they wouldn't get tangled and pulled her hood back up. She gave Hermione a small smile before they started walking slowly towards the violent tree. Hermione was rather surprised that there were no dementors or people scouting the grounds, but she wasn't going to question it as they ascended up the hill. She gasped when they reached the tree and saw that it was wilting horribly. The brunette approached slowly as it slumped and slightly cowered in her presence. "What have they done to you?" The once over-zealous willow slumped even more to her touch and Jade gently placed her hand over Hermione's and closed her eyes.

"It's been severely damaged." The lycan whispered as she drew both of their hands away. "They've broken its spirit." Hermione frowned deeply as she looked up at the once strong tree and noticed how withered it looked. "Come on, Hermione, we shouldn't dwell out in the open." They entered the opening at the base of the tree and Jade's eyes glowed in the darkness so they could see where they were going. The tunnel was long and drafty as they made their way, Jade's hand firmly latched to Hermione's before the air seemed to warm and the walls went from stone to brick. The brunette pulled out her wand and tapped the Hogwarts crest that was engraved on the wall in front of them and it slowly started to slide to the side. Jade held Hermione back to poke her head out and saw that the halls were fairly empty. "Is it normal for the corridors to be this quiet?" The witch looked down at her watch and shrugged.

"Well, technically, classes are in session." Jade mouthed an 'oh' before slipping out and waving Hermione forward. "Where to now?"

"This way." Hermione took the lead this time as she dragged her mate down the corridor and towards the moving stair cases. They'd dodge behind columns and into dark alcoves at the random students that would walk by and the Slytherins that were patrolling. As they reached the stair cases, Hermione noticed that they weren't moving like they normally would. "They must've enchanted them to stop somehow, now what are we supposed to do?" She pointed her hand up to the floor that they needed to go. Unlike her two adventurous friends, she didn't know the back corridors well enough to not get lost. "We need to get up there." Jade smirked before scooping Hermione up into her arms bridal style and the girl gasped before wrapping her arms around the lycan's neck.

"Hang on tight," There was a playful spark in Jade's blue eyes as she jumped onto the stone railing then leapt up to the nearest stair case, landing gracefully before launching forward again. If they hadn't been trying to sneak through Hogwarts or if she had more time to admire, she would've been entranced by Jade's grace as he landed at the seventh floor stair case. "Better than an elevator?"

"Much," The brunette smiled as her mate set her down gently on her feet and they started through the corridors and soon, the portrait of the Fat Lady came into view. "Shit, I forgot about the password!" There was a tug at the back of Hermione's mind that wouldn't leave her alone because of the lack of security they had on the school. It was almost too easy for them to get around and it made her uneasy, but they were almost there, too close to let the pull gain focus in her thoughts. Instead of waiting for a student to come along and speak the lady. "Excuse me?" The Fat Lady turned and her eyes widened as she leaned forward.

"Miss Granger?" Hermione nodded as the lady smiled and clapped. The girl hushed her and looked around the corridors to make sure that no one was around to hear the woman's exclamations. "It is you! Your friends have been so worried."

"Yes, I'm here to see how they're doing." The girl answered as Jade kept watch. "Would you mind letting me in?"

"Of course, deary!" The portrait opened wide for the girls to step in and Hermione was happy for the rapport she had with the lady. "I'm tired of those Slytherins running the place, I hope you know most of the ghosts and portraits support you and Mr. Potter." The brunette nodded and smiled before the portrait closed and let out a deep sigh she'd been holding since she reached the seventh floor.

"Well," Jade said as she lowered her hood and ruffled her hair. "That was much easier than I expected." The sound of rushed footsteps were resonating from the left as Jade pushed Hermione behind her and laid her ready hand on the hilt of her dagger.

"Hermione!" Neville appeared from the stairs that led to the boy's dormitories and Hermione beamed as she moved past Jade. "I thought I heard your voice! How did ya get here?! How are you?" The brunette threw her arms around the taller boy's neck and hugged him tight.

"I'm well," She answered as pulled away and noticed how worn out her friend looked. "How are things here? Why aren't you in class?" Neville rolled his brown eyes and ran a hand through his messy hair. "How is Ginny?"

"Oh, well…" The boy looked down at his hands before looking up and noticing the blue eyed girl standing behind Hermione. The girl noticed Neville staring and remembered that Jade was with her.

"Neville, this is Jade." Hermione reached her hand back and grabbed her mate's before pulling her forward to stand at her side. "Jade, this is my good friend, Neville Longbottom." The Gryffindor extended his hand and Jade shook it politely.

"So you're the girl keeping our Hermione safe?" Jade nodded as the tall boy smiled kindly at her. "We very much appreciate it."

"Neville," The shorter girl started again, noticing that he hadn't answered her question from before. "How is Ginny?" Neville visibly tensed and averted his gaze to the ground. "Neville?" Hermione's voice lowered as she took a step forward trying to find her friend's eyes. "What happened?"

"Ginny, well…" He started quietly. "There was an incident in the Great Hall at lunch and well, you see, this Slytherin git, he was torturing a second year Hufflepuff. Ginny she…she just snapped, couldn't stand it anymore I suppose. Cursed the boy seven ways to Oblivion, but the Carrows," Hermione shuddered at the thought of the siblings and what they had done to her best friend. "They…well Gin defended herself like a champ, but that Alecto, she's vicious and merciless. She caught Ginny off guard and…she took her to the dungeons." The brunette's heart froze for a second as Neville's words sank in. The dungeons weren't only for Slytherins anymore, they had been reverted back to their original use where they'd take students to torture them if they misbehaved. Apparently, detentions just didn't cut it for Voldemort. "She's been down there for a few hours now."

"We have to get her out." She said as she ran her hand through her hair and shook her head. Hermione turned to look at her mate whose eyes were narrowed and looking down at the ground. "Jade, we have to get her out!"

"Amycus and Alecto are down there right now." Neville added quietly with a heavy sigh. "You won't even get near her, Hermione. Alecto wasn't very happy with her outburst, but if you're going to form a rescue, I'll help." The girl beamed at her friend and hugged him tight.

"Thank you Neville," He pulled away and smiled at her before pulling out his wand. Neville led the way out as Jade insisted on bringing up the back to make sure no one was following them. "Why are the halls so empty today?" Hermione whispered as Neville led them down the back ways to get down to the first floor.

"Well, everyone _is _supposed to be in class." The boy said with a smirk. "I just didn't feel like going after Gin got hauled away. I was actually planning to try and get her out myself, lucky for me you two came along." As they reached the first floor and passed the Great Hall which was empty, Jade stopped and Hermione, immediately noticed her missing presence, turned and saw her staring.

"Jade?"

"You guys are going to need a distraction." She said calmly as she pulled down her hood and smirked. "Those two have it out for me, so let me stay and wait until they leave the dungeons to get your friend." Hermione started shaking her head before walking towards her mate.

"No," Hermione said firmly as she gave her lycan a very stern look with her brown eyes. "You said we were going to get out of here together, you made me promise and I'm not letting you go back on it!" Jade just smiled lovingly at Hermione before pulling her forward into a warm embrace and kissing her forehead.

"I will find you afterwards," Jade whispered as she pulled away and held Hermione by the shoulders. "I promise we will leave together, all right? I'll find you, by the willow again."

"Hermione," Neville said gently as he took a step towards the girls. "We'll have a better chance if the whole school is focused on someone other than us." Brown eyes narrowed as she glanced at her friend and then to her mate, nodding reluctantly as Jade smiled and looked at the Gryffindor boy.

"Go down there and yell 'intruder'." She said firmly as the boy nodded. "When those two leave your friend alone, go get her." Neville nodded again as he ran down the stairs into the dungeons. After a few moments, they heard the boy yell and Jade looked down at the brunette and smirked. "Hide." She nodded before running off and slipping behind a statue. It wasn't long before the Carrows came running up the stairs and down the corridor, stopping in their tracks when they saw Jade standing there with a smug smile on her face.

"You!" Alecto cried as she brandished her wand and her brother did the same. "How dare you set foot in this place, but I guess it saves us the trouble of hunting you. Tell us, where is that mudblood?"

"Far enough where you won't find her." Jade hissed, angered by the defiling insult to her mate. "You said you weren't finished with me last time met, so how about we finish this now." Jade crouched slightly, ready for the siblings to strike. As Amycus raised his wand, Jade smirked and took off towards the entrance of the castle.

"After her!" He growled as his sister nodded and sprinted after the lycan as she ran out the doors laughing. As the sounds of footfalls faded, Hermione appeared from behind the statue and ran down the corridor leading to the dungeons. When she entered the corridor, she saw a lone door swung open and ran towards it. As she entered, she gasped to see Neville kneeling down next to Ginny, who was lying on her side, robes torn and bloodied. There were tears streaming down the boy's face as he looked at Hermione.

"She's…she's unconscious." He squeaked as he scooped the red head up and walked towards Hermione. "Hermione, she can't stay here. They'll find out someone helped her escape and it will be then end of her, and I...I just can't leave her down here! Not with them..." He looked down at the broken body in his arms and sighed heavily. When he looked at Hermione again, his eyes were strong and blazing with anger. "You need to take her with you."

"Neville," The girl whispered as she looked at the determination radiating from his tear filled eyes. "I…I don't know if I can."

"You have to!" The boy shouted suddenly as a few tears escaped his eyes. "Hermione, they'll kill her! You have to take her back with you where she'll be safe. If you do, they won't suspect me, please." Hermione was at a crossroad. She wanted desperately to help her friend, but how was she going to get them both out. Her eyes roamed Ginny's injured body and anguish filled her chest and crept up her neck. She had to try.

"All right, Neville," She said finally as she waved her wand and put a feather light charm on Ginny. "Put her on my back and once we get up there, you need to get back to the common room, ok?" The boy nodded, a spark of hope on his face as he smiled before gently placing Ginny's unconscious body on Hermione's back. The brunette bound Ginny's hands together to keep the red head from slipping and held tight around her legs. "Come on."

x-x

Jade had stopped running just near the Whomping Willow with the Carrows huffing to keep up with her unnatural speed. She took a deep breath and pressed her hand against the tree.

"If you have any strength left, brother," She whispered as she closed her eyes and let the magic between the tree and herself mingle. "I beg you to use it now." The tree seemed to respond slightly as it rustled its branches and groaned loudly.

"Don't move!" Jade turned to see Amycus pointing his wand at her and walking closer slowly. "It's time you paid for what you've done, tell me before I kill you, where is that mudblood girl?" Blue eyes narrowed dangerously as the lycan put one hand on her sword and the other on her dagger. "You think those weapons are anything compared to my magic? Don't be a fool, the Dark Lord could use someone with your, particular talents."

"I'd rather die." Jade hissed as she growled and Alecto soon joined the stand-off. The blonde woman was smiling as she brushed her hair behind her ears and sighed. "And don't underestimate my blades, they're forged out of a very rare crystal ore that negates magic."

"You won't make it out of here," Alecto purred as she stood next to her brother who glanced at her, as if waiting for an order. It was very clear to Jade who the alpha of their pack was and she concluded that Amycus was the weaker of the two, and you always take out the weakest of the pack first. "We won't let you catch us off guard like before."

"Then let's settle this." The lycan snarled as she lunged forward as Amycus stumbled back at her advance and his sister shot a red light towards her. Jade lifted her sword and deflected as she kicked the man's legs out from under him, causing him to roll down the hill. Alecto scowled and jumped back, firing random curses at the lycan who dodged easily.

"Mangy cur!" She shouted as Jade blocked another attack with her weapon and began an attack of her own. Alecto gasped as a sharp blade barely skimmed over her head as she ducked and another swing with Jade's dagger in her left hand sliced cleanly through the flesh on the older woman's wand arm.

"You wizards," Jade snarled as she continued her assault. "You all rely so much on your magic, your attacks from a distance that you don't know how to fight in close quarters!" She kicked Alecto hard in the stomach and sent the woman reeling back against the willow tree. "You're weak." Suddenly a spell hit Jade hard in the back of the head and she fell forward on her hands and knees, vision blurring as she shut her eyes and groaned. Another curse knocked her to the ground as Alecto's high pitched cackle rang into the air.

"It seems," The woman chimed as she walked closer to Jade with her wand pointing at her face. "That we're a bit stronger than you are half-breed." There was a slight groaning from the tree as a red glow radiated from the Carrows' wands and Jade looked up to see a long branch of the Whomping Willow pulling back. A smirk spread on the lycan's lips as she watched the tree hold its pose. "Why are you smiling like that?" Before Jade could answer, the willow slung its branches forward, knocking the two wizards hard in the chest and launching them a far distance towards the castle. Jade shook her head to clear her vision and stood up, watching the tree whip its limbs around proudly.

"Thank you brother," The lycan whispered as she pressed a hand against the trunk and sighed. "One day I will return the favor." The tree shook again before Jade caught Hermione's scent mixed with blood on the breeze and she bristled when she heard someone approaching.

"Jade…" Hermione breathed as she came up the hill, a still unconscious Ginny on her back. The brunette looked exhausted, her charm had worn off half way there and she didn't think it wise to stop in the middle of the grounds to recast it. Jade jogged over to her mate and took the girl from her.

"Are you all right?" The blue eyed girl whispered to her mate who was panting slightly, but nodded her head despite her exhaustion. Hermione didn't hesitate to grab the lycan by her elbow and pull her back towards the forest.

"We need to get out of here fast." She mumbled as they began jogging down the hill back towards their horses. "If we get caught, it will be the end of us." Jade just nodded as she slung Ginny over her shoulder and grabbed Hermione's hand, urging the brunette to move faster. Thankfully, they hadn't been seen on their way to the forest and when they reached their steeds, they were far enough into the trees to be concealed. Hermione quickly mounted Beau before Jade situated the red head on Valnad and sat in the saddle behind her.

"You go first, Hermione." Jade's voice was breathy as she nodded and Hermione broke out into a gallop, trusting Beau to find his way back home with little assistance from her. She glanced over her shoulder momentarily to make sure Jade was behind her and a rush of relief washed over her body as the fled through the forest.


End file.
